Smoke and Mirrors
by MonarqueMyste
Summary: Carbine and Throttle are getting married but, it's not by choice. Also, someone has plans to ruin a good thing.
1. Chapter 1

C **hapter 1: Congratulations are in order?**

Mars...fourth planet from the sun. On the surface, it would appear to be a dry and desolate planet. It's bright rust hue was made possible by the iron-rich minerals found in its dust and rock covered surface. It was because of these deposits that the Plutarkians decided to invade the planet.

According to Earth's scientists, Mars was suppose to be uninhabitable and no liquid water could exist on it. But, what they didn't know about were the hardworking Martian mouse population that lived below the surface. A massive underground realm that they had built to live, work, and play in.

It was in this hidden, war-torn paradise that a female mouse general and human mechanic made peace with each others races. The mouse was named Carbine and the human went by Charley-girl. Both of whom considered lovely by their own races. Carbine with her midnight colored hair, soft gray fur, and eyes the color of chestnuts and Charley with her auburn tresses, pale honey-toned skin, and turquoise colored eyes.

You would think that neither of these females would have anything in common. One being a General and the other a mechanic. But, it was the love of their respective planets and their friends and families that drew them together as friends. They both also had their own, unique explosive tempers if they were pushed to that point. But, they were usually sweet and caring individuals with certain people.

Today, we find our female heroines wandering the streets of Mars in search of a newly opened restaurant that they had reserved a table at and pre-ordered their meals and drinks. Carbine was tense and feeling out of sorts with herself which caused her friend Charley to look concerned.

"I've got some news for you girl" Carbine said calmly to Charley as they walked toward one of the newly opened Martian restaurant.

"Okay. Spill it and stop keeping me in suspense" Charley was so excited to be back on Mars. She felt more at home among the mouse population than she ever did on Earth. She was almost half tempted to get permission to build a garage on Mars and move here.

"Okay. Here it is. Throttle and I are getting married" Carbine just knew that Charley would be so happy for them. They had been together for so long that it was actually expected for them to finally tie the knot.

"That's wonderful. When's the wedding?" Charley couldn't believe her ears. Her two best friends were finally tying the knot after so long. She, herself, had no intentions of getting married so, her plan was to live vicariously through Carbine.

"Well, here's the problem" Carbine said as they made their way into the restaurant and were immediately seated next to a window.

"What's the problem? You two have been together for as long as I've know you" Charley couldn't think of any reason as to why Carbine wasn't bouncing off the walls with excitement.

"I know" Carbine felt a sense of melancholy as she looked out the glass window out at the busy Martian street.

"Then what is it?" Charley inquired as she placed a hand over the General's arm, bringing her back into the moment, and causing Carbine to look at her.

"You see, this wedding was never our idea" Carbine leaned the side of her head against the glass, feeling lost and confused.

"Then whose was it?" Charley could see that her friend had a look of loss in her brown eyes.

"Our parents" Carbine sounded less than thrilled over it.

"But, shouldn't it be yours and Throttle's decision" Charley was more than a bit confused over the fact that her friends were being forced to marry.

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works here on Mars with some of the wealthy classes. We're still a little backwards here on some things" Carbine murmured as she looked at Charley.

"I can see that. Is there anything I can do to help?" Charley offered as she watched their waiter bring them a couple of mixed drinks.

"You already are but, I would like you to be in my wedding. Please" Carbine knew she could use all the support she could get.

"Of course. What do you need me to do?" Charley knew that her friend was going to need her and she would be willing to do anything to help her out.

"I want you to stand by my side as my maid of honor, as they do on Earth" Carbine said as she grabbed one of Charley's hands in both of hers and gave her a pleading look.

"Definitely. I'll be by your side the whole time" Charley was delighted to actually be in her wedding as a major person in her life.

"Awesome. Cause we only have about six weeks til the wedding" Carbine decided to drop that bomb shell on Charley's lap.

"Oh my god. What all do we need to do?" Charley's jaw dropped when she realized that they were on a major time crunch.

"Our parents have taken care of everything else but, we need to find dresses to suit the affair and the guys are going to be suit shopping" Carbine stated as she grabbed her drink and chugged it down. She was in no mood to even speak to her parents about anything.

"Alright. Any rules that we need to abide by?" Charley asked as she took a sip of her drink. She and Carbine had called in their order earlier that day so this way they wouldn't have too much interruption while they ate and drank themselves silly.

"According to tradition, I am suppose to be covered from head to toe. That also includes anyone on the bride's side of the party who happens to be female. It's really stupid and old school in my opinion." Carbine explained with an exasperated sigh.

"Why's that?" Charley asked as she finished up her drink and started to eat her lunch. She smiled as the waiter refilled their glasses.

"According to what my mom explained was so that the groom and his men wouldn't be tempted" Carbine chuckled as she started to eat.

"Oh, that sounds ridiculous" Charley chimed up as she furled her brow. She had never heard of anything so silly in her life time.

"It is but, that's the way it's suppose to be. It's been that way for as long as I can remember" Carbine drank down her second second glass of wine as she conversed.

"We better not get too tipsy" Charley giggled as she felt the warmth of the wine spread through her body as she drained a second glass. She had to admit, they had really good wine on Mars and amazing food to go with it.

"Why not? After the day that I've had and the hell that those boys put you through on Earth...we deserve it" Carbine chuckled as she raised her glass and encouraged Charley to join her.

"To the freedom fighters!" Charley joyful spoke, raising her glass to meet Carbine's.

"To rocking and riding free" Carbine said as she and Charley clinked their glasses together and downed a third glass of wine.

* * *

 **Well, what does everyone think about this first chapter? If anyone has any questions or things that you would like to see in the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Cyber Hugs to all readers and reviewers. A special shout out to DinoDragonMaster.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: It's all about the dress...NOT!**

As Carbine and Charley walked towards the dress shop, they both had a feeling they were not going to like anything that was in there. Especially since Carbine had given Charley the warning that everything there was overly modest. All the females had to basically be covered in fabric bags.

Charley looked around and saw how much the world of Mars had changed since the first time she came here. Buildings sprouted up, practically over night. There were now places where the population could live. Could work. And have a good time.

Of course, Charley sometimes felt as though she would never fit in with the Martian mouse population.

Looking around the bustling city of Mars, Charley examined the area more closely. Many of the buildings were modeled after their original martian caves, deep hollows of red compacted soil with large circular openings. Their homes were built the same way with multiple rooms attached to the main room. They had somehow managed to acquire Plutarkian steel and used it in their construction.

At least some good came out of their skirmish with the smelly stink fish.

"Hello, Earth to Charley" Carbine chuckled as she gently nudged her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm here" Charley acknowledged that she was drifting in her thoughts.

"Well, we're here. I know there isn't going to be much for selection but, maybe the next time I go to Earth, you and I can have a fun time picking out a non-traditional dress" Carbine halfheartedly tried to sound excited but, wasn't feeling up for the task.

"That would probably be a lot more fun for you. There's so many stores in Chicago that I'm sure you'll find something that would blow your mind as well as Throttle's" Charley tried to stay positive for her best friend. She knew, deep in her heart, that Carbine and Throttle had been together for several years and had even joked about getting married...sometime. But, this ceremony was being forced upon them and they were not happy about it.

"Well, let's try to make this most of a bad situation" Carbine tried to chuckle but, it came out as a snort, to which Charley giggled and then shook her head.

"Alright, even though this is more like going to battle and trying to find the best armor for he job" Charley retorted as she opened the door for Carbine and, after Carbine walked in, Charley followed closely behind her.

"Miss Carbine. So good of you to come. Your mother and future mother-in-law have been patiently waiting for you to come" the sales clerk stated with a small smile and gave a quick glance over at the parents, who were sitting there with their arms folded over their chests and staring at them with disdain.

"It's about time you decided to show up. Where were you?" the older female mouse stated as she stood up.

"Mother, I told you I was meeting up with Charley this afternoon and that I would be here when I got here" Carbine had no qualms with standing up to her mother. Besides, she had just about had enough of this wedding. Even though there was very little time given to plan this grand event.

"Well, at least she showed up. I was actually betting that you were going to stage a protest and not even bother to show" Throttle's mother stated with a mild chuckle before regaining her calm disposition.

"That was a temptation" Carbine growled out each word.

"Lucky for you, we did some shopping while we waited on you to show up" Carbine's mother stated, deliberating ignoring the human female. She had made it a point to not even take her daughter's friend into consideration for any part of the wedding but, Carbine protested and argued so much that she had no choice but to include her mechanic friend.

"Ugly. Hideous. Wouldn't be caught dead in it. Next!" Carbine callously stated as she looked through the half dozen or so dresses that her mother had picked out.

"Carbine!" he mother chastised as she watched Carbine plop herself down, sideways, in one of the chairs.

"I want my best girl, Charley, to pick it out. She knows me better than anyone. That includes Throttle" Carbine chuckled as she gave the mechanic a large grin.

"Your father and I are paying for the dress and if I don't approve of it then it will not be purchased" she stared down at her daughter, knowing that Carbine was deliberately being rude to her because, she had no interest in getting married to her boyfriend/betrothal of the last several years.

"And, your point? I'm not going to wear something that I despise to my own wedding" Carbine was already at the end of her rope with her mother's attitude and was making it known that she had no interest in getting married. Throttle may have been the love of her youth but, he was not the love of her now and future self.

"You're impossible. You becoming a general certainly went to your head. We have rules that you seem to have forgotten about that you must abide by" Carbine's mother firmly stated but, it was obvious that her daughter was refusing to hear another word because, Carbine was already joining Charley in the racks of dresses, determined to find one that would work for her.

"Huh? What was that about no rules?" Carbine chuckled as she and Charley went on a mad search hunt through the racks of dresses trying to locate one that fit the rules of the wedding but, would also make Carbine feel a bit better about the whole situation.

"Not funny" was all she responded with as she sat back down next to Throttle's mother.

"You should be happy that you have a mother but, it seems like you two are always at odds with each other" Charley was determined to figure out why it was that mother and daughter were constantly fighting.

"Let's just say, my parents haven't moved forward to the present day. They've been so stuck in the past that the rules haven't been upgraded and none of the elders are budging on any of them. Because several of us have been exposed to Earth and its customs, there have been many things that the younger generation wants changed. On top of which, the war with the Plutarkians didn't help matters much either" Carbine spoke softly so as the two female patriarchs wouldn't hear and try to intervene with their private conversation.

"Ah! That makes sense. I wish there was something that I could do to help you out of this situation" Charley calmly stated to Carbine as they each pulled a couple of dresses that met the rigid requirements of the ceremony.

"Pity. This one is pretty but, lacks coverage, even with all this lace" Carbine was about to put it back on the rack but, turned when she saw Charley grab something off a counter.

"How about these super long gloves to go under the sleeves and that would help with the coverage issue?" Charley stated as she handed Carbine a set of white opera length gloves that would cover up to the middle of her upper arm.

"Great idea. I'm so glad you came with me" Carbine was finally feeling optimistic of today but, she knew that could change in a matter of minutes with her mother. Throttle's mother was a bit more laid back about everything but, she still had to obey the old rules even if she didn't like them.

"Well, we each found three dresses that I am going to try on that may be hopeful contenders that will meet your approval" Carbine laced her statement with heavy sarcasm as she stared at her mother with an icy glare.

"We'll see" her mother snarled as she glanced from her daughter to Charley, whom she considered beneath their species and could hardly understand why Carbine considered her to be her best friend.

"Uh huh" Carbine nodded her head and walked into one of the fitting rooms with an arm load of dresses and the sales consultant right behind her.

Charley sat down next to Throttle's mother in order to avoid the contemptuous glare of Carbine's mother.

Throttle's mother's name was Elaine. She only came up to Charley's shoulder and was very slender. Her golden blonde hair hung to her shoulders in soft, beach-like waves. Her muzzle was more slender than the average mouse and her ears were slightly smaller. Overall, Charley thought Elaine looked very delicate but, was extremely lovely to look at.

Carbine's mother, Lilith, on the other hand, had a more severe look. She had long black and gray hair that was pulled severely away from her face. She stood about as tall as Charley and was built a bit bigger than herself. Lilith was obviously a product of a rigid upbringing and it showed.

"Okay, Charley, you actually did pick the best one and I really like it a lot more than the others" Carbine said as she stepped out of the dressing room.

There was nothing demure about the tulle drop-waist ball gown that Carbine was trying on. It had an illusion boat-neck and long sleeves that were completely lace. Luckily, Carbine wore the gloves underneath to cover her arms. In fact, it was downright bold to pick such a timeless and sophisticated wedding dress. The gown, which also featured a sweep train and lace appliques on the bodice and skirt. It was perfect for a modern woman, such as Carbine but, it was still a classic beauty.

"Oh, that's really lovely. I like it" Elaine said with a big smile. With the minor adjustment that Charley suggested, the gown fit perfectly with the requirements.

"I guess it will have to do" Lilith stated with a haughty tone.

"Really? You're actually not going to argue with me on it? I'm shocked" Carbine said, knowing that her mother was not the type to back down from an argument.

"Don't be. It fits the requirements and you like it. Two positives in my opinion" Lilith stated as she stood up and paid for the dress while Carbine got changed back into her uniform.

"Okay, what's next?" Charley asked as soon as Carbine stepped out of the room, dress draped over one arm.

"We're going to go have some fun at the new bar that just opened up downtown. Heard it was karaoke night tonight" Carbine gave Charley a wink as they walked out of the store, dress in hand, and then placed the covered gown into her mother's vehicle so it would be taken to the ceremony site.

"Sounds like fun. Harley joining us?" Charley inquired.

"Yuppers. Let's hurry up before we have to do something else not fun" Carbine chuckled as they quickly fled down the road to avoid being caught by the two moms.

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or things that you would like to see featured in the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know and I'll see what I can do. Also, I do apologize for me not posting chapters as quickly as I would like. Too many things to get done and not enough hours in the day. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Who let the girls out?**

As soon as Carbine and Charley arrived at the outside of the new bar, Deimos and Phobos were beginning their ascent into the Martian sky. Harley was waiting at the front door with their passes so they wouldn't have to wait in line with everyone else. She also had a large handbag under her arm that was slightly bulging.

"I almost thought you two weren't going to be able to make it" Harley said as Charley and Carbine joined her. She immediately escorted them into the building and directed them to their bathrooms, which were located at the back of the bar.

It was certainly the largest bar Charley had ever seen and the most unique she had ever scene. It was about the size of Quiggly Field and the ceiling was equally as tall. On one side of the room was the curved bar with multiple stools gathered at the edge. In the middle, were normal height tables with chairs. On the outer edge were high bar tables with chairs to match. On the opposite side was a raised stage with a spot for karaoke on either side of the stage.

Charley wasn't looking forward to doing karaoke unless Carbine and Harley joined her.

"What's in the bag, Harley?" Charley inquired as she looked at herself in the mirror and quickly ran her fingers through her hair, removing the few tangles that had occurred on their walk over here.

"Some actual fun clothes for us. I didn't think any of us would want to wear our work outfits" Harley stated as she pulled several outfits out along with some heels for each of them.

"Sorry if the backs are a little low. Everything here is designed for mice not humans" Harley was sympathetic but, still gave a mild chuckle.

"That's okay. I'll manage" Charley chuckled as she watched Carbine quickly strip out of her uniform and toss everything into the bag. She opted to wear a sexy, skin tight, sleeveless, sapphire blue dress that came down to her ankles with the back completely open and two side splits that went up to her hips. She wore a pair of strappy sparkling silver rhinestone heels for fun.

"You are such an amazing friend to have and anyone who thinks the opposite is just stupid" Harley said with a smile as she striped out of her work clothes and tossed them into the satchel with Carbine's. Harley went extreme with a knee length, black lycra dress with a very low back and spaghetti straps. She decided to wear a pair of black and red heels with an ankle strap.

"Now you're making me blush and that takes a whole hell of a lot" Charley stated as she practically tore off her mechanic clothes and they join the others in the bag. She got the last dress out of the group and put it on. It, like the others, was a sexy backless little number. It was light blue with a deep V neckline and barely there straps. Unfortunately, this dress also barely covered her lower assets and she knew there was going to be a battle of the body versus the dress staying down. She grabbed the last pair of heels, which were bright white strappy little numbers.

"Wow! Who knew you had such long legs?" Carbine chuckled as she watched Charley struggle to make sure that her dress stayed in place.

"Apparently this dress did" Charley laughed as Harley grabbed their clothes and they all walked out into the main portion of the pair. They went to a tall table, that had been reserved for them, and sat down on the bar stools.

"Well, it looks good on you" Harley commented as they watched a waited come over.

"What can I get you lovely ladies to drink?" he asked, his tail tapping in time with the music.

"I'll have a martini. Make it extra wet" Harley stated. She loved her drink made this way with half Vermouth and half gin with an olive garnish.

"I'll have a Ramos Gin Fizz" Carbine said with a smile as she looked forward to the evening with her girl friend. It was a complex drink, of gin, lemon and lime juices, simple syrup, orange flower water, cream, an egg white, and vanilla extract. Traditionally, it has the hell shaken out of it, first without ice, so that the ingredients emulsify, and then with ice, so it gets extremely cold and frothy.

"I'll have a Margarita please with extra salt on the rim" Charley had to admit that it had been a long time since she actually had the chance to hang out with the female species, so she was going to make the most of tonight. A good tequila with a decent triple sec, and some fresh limes would certainly be a good way to start the night.

"Not a problem. Just give us a moment and I'll bring them on back for you" he said as did a quick pivot and walked back towards the bar.

"I didn't realize so many Earth beverages were actually popular on Mars" Charley commented.

"Not really. This is actually the only bar that serves Earth and Martian food and beverages" Carbine stated.

"The problem is, not too many of our kind have ventured to Earth but, those of us who have, have really loved what Earth has got and decided to incorporate it into some of the things that we have here on Mars" Harley commented as she crossed her legs under the table and gave Charley a ghost of a smile.

 **We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll  
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll**

"And, like on Earth, those guys certainly don't want to miss out on some fun" Charley commented as she pointed towards the front door as soon as she saw Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Stoker waltz in with sappy grins on their smug faces.

 **Say you don't know me, or recognize my face  
Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place  
Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight  
Too many runaways eating up the night**

"Great. Can't have any fun by ourselves" Carbine groaned as the four of them made their way over to their table and promptly decided to make themselves at home with them.

"Hello ladies" Vinnie said as he winked at Harley, who in turn rolled her eyes at him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harley growled in protest.

"Well, we heard this was the only place in town that serves up some human dishes and we figured we would try it out" Modo commented as he leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head.

 **Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember  
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

""Oh good. Here's our drinks" Charley mentioned as the waiter came over and handed each of the girls their drinks.

"Where's ours?" Vinnie moaned.

"They are not with us" Carbine mentioned and motioned with her hands that they needed to find their own table.

 **We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll  
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

"Well, that bites" Throttle growled as he got the hint and motioned for his friends to join him at a table right next to theirs. He wasn't letting these three scantily clad females out of his sight. Especially since one was his fiancee, one was his best girl, and the other was his best friend's girl.

 **Someone's always playing corporation games  
Who cares they're always changing corporation names  
We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage  
They call us irresponsible, write us off the page**

"Bye boys" Charley giggled as she took a sip of her drink and waved at them.

"Can we at least take a twirl out on the dance floor?" Vinnie asked Harley.

"Of course we can, you big goof ball" Harley chuckled as she took a long swig of her drink before jumping out of her seat to join Vinnie out on the dance floor.

 **Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember  
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

"Carbine?" Throttle asked as he held out his hand.

"One dance. That's all I have the energy for" she relented, knowing that pretty soon it wasn't going to matter what she said. Standing up, she accepted his out-stretched hand and allowed him to escort her out to the dance floor.

"Ok. Our parents were that bad today?" Throttle questioned as he pulled Carbine into his arms, knowing that what they had before the war was no longer there. They still cared for each other but, it wasn't the same. They had grown apart over the years and being forced into marriage was putting a damper on a lot of other things as well.

 **We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll  
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

They had actually been in the process of having a private conversation about where their relationship was heading when both sets of their parents showed up and announced their big news. They had agreed that Carbine and Throttle would get married and join their two households. Both Throttle and Carbine growled in frustration and tried to get them to call off the marriage because, they had just come to the conclusion that they weren't really in love with each other and were ready to move on. They had merely stayed together long enough to finish the war and begin to rebuild their home.

 **It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street  
Police have got the choke hold, oh, then we just lost the beat**

Now, here they were, in a bar, contemplating their preordained future. And they didn't like it one bit. In fact, they both hated being told what they could and could not do. Neither of them were great at taking orders and were much more content at being able to give them. Of course, the giving of orders more applied to Carbine than Throttle. Throttle was more prone to talking things out and occasionally pulling the macho male card but, that was mostly done to Charley who would just shake her head, arch an eye brow, and then give him a crazy look complete with a smile.

 **Who counts the money underneath the bar  
Who rides the wrecking ball into our guitars  
Don't tell us you need us, 'cause we're just simple fools  
Looking for America, coming through your schools**

Now Charley, she was a completely different ball of wax all together. She was his best female friend. He also had a bad habit of casually flirting with her when Vinnie wasn't paying any bit of attention. She seemed to take it in stride but, never took him seriously. He, on the other hand, started looking at Charley very differently since her birthday party when she bestow him with a kiss just below his nose. Vinnie and Modo only received one on the cheek.

 **(I'm looking out over that Golden Gate bridge  
Out on a gorgeous sunny Saturday and I'm seeing that bumper to bumper traffic)**

Somehow, Charley knew that it was his idea to get her that book and take her to the play. Sure, he didn't get to sit next to her but, neither did Vinnie. He knew it was for the best because, he would have wanted to hold her hand and lace his fingers though hers and Vinnie would have made a huge scene.

Don't you remember (remember)

As he danced with Carbine across the floor, his attention was drawn back to Charley, who was sipping on her second drink and laughing at something Stoker said.

He knew he needed to focus on Carbine because, that was whom he was suppose to getting married to.

(Here's your favorite radio station, in your favorite radio city  
The city by the bay, the city that rocks, the city that never sleeps)

"Throttle? Are you okay?" Carbine asked, knowing that his thoughts had drifted from dancing with her to somewhere else. She couldn't read his thoughts but, knew that he wasn't interested in being with her for the rest of their lives.

Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember  
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll

"Yeah. I'm fine" Throttle stated, hoping it wasn't obvious where his mind had wandered off to.

"Liar. You're thinking of something" Carbine mentioned with a mild chuckle.

"I was just thinking about if there was a way we could get out of this marriage. It's not right" Throttle knew better than to try and keep the truth from Carbine because, she could always read him like a book.

"I wish there was and you're right" Carbine was in total agreement as they danced back towards their tables.

 **We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll  
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

"What was that? Did I just hear you say I was right?" Throttle was shocked to hear her say that.

"I'm not repeating it and don't get used to it" Carbine chuckled as she followed his lead.

"Haven't these two goobers asked you to dance yet?" Carbine questioned when she noticed that Charley was still sitting with Modo and Stoker chatting her ears off.

 **We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll  
Built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll **

"No. I'm good. Besides, I don't want to flash anyone" Charley giggled as she felt a bit warm from the alcohol.

"Nonsense. Throttle, take Charley out to the dance floor" Carbine was back to her old self with giving orders.

"Throttle, you don't have to" Charley murmured as she shook her head to try and protest but, was quickly swept off her feet and escorted out to the dance floor.

"It's all good. Carbine only wanted one dance anyway" Throttle said with a smile as he placed a hand at Charley's waist, her one hand ending up on his shoulder, pulling her close to him. His other hand captured her free hand.

 **When it feels like the world is on your shoulders  
And all of the madness has got you going crazy  
It's time to get out step out into the street  
Where all of the action is right there at your feet**

"Are you sure?" Charley inquired as she felt the heat of his hand on the small of her back.

"Oh yeah. Definitely" he knew he answered almost too quickly but, he knew that this would be one of the last times he would be able to get away with having Charley this close to him.

He could still recall the first time he held her hand. It was back when Evil Eye Weevil used his hostility ray on the three of them and caused them to break up. Only for a short period of time. Modo and Vinnie had been captured and were locked up in Limburger's tower. He was the only one not to be taken and while he was looking for his friends, he ran into Charley who informed him of everything.

 **Well I know a place where we can dance the whole night away  
Underneath electric stars  
Just come with me and we can shake your blues right away  
You'll be doing fine once the music starts**

She wanted to help him but, his own pride didn't want to put her in danger. So, when she reached for him from her own bike, he remembered putting her hand in his and then wrapping his fingers over the top of hers. She looked so sad in his eyes but, she understood that this was between him and his friends.

Of course, everything went off without a hitch. He freed his friends and used a mirror to deflect the hostility ray.

There was even a time when she road on the back of his bike. At that point in his life, it had been a long time since he had another female wrap her arms around him.

It was during a time on Earth, when there was a massive gas shortage in Chicago, and Charley had gone to fill up her tanker. The Road Ravens had attacked her, knocked her out, and stole all her fuel. When they saw the tanker, all three of them thought it was empty. Vinnie had gone to get control of the vehicle but, ended up having to jump out of it with an unconscious Charley. He had gone to get Modo out of the way so he wouldn't end up being road pizza.

 **Oh, to the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Dance until the morning light  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
You can leave them all behind  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Oh the rhythm of the night, oh yeah**

After that little incident, Vinnie ended up with a busted arm and Modo was down with a bad leg. So, that left them to investigate the missing fuel problem.

Throttle had to admit, Charley did amp up the sexy in her female biker outfit. It made it even worse that she had pressed herself firmly against his back during their ride to their hideout. They both played their parts. Even when Greasepit showed up and called them out, Charley was still there, ready to save him. Lucky for the both of them, Modo and Vinnie showed up.

Charley helped him to stand and he remembered wishing he could have found the strength to help her with his own body. He recalled the pain from a couple of busted ribs and a twisted ankle. But, somehow, her being there, gave him the strength to do what he had to do. He went after the Road Ravens and Charley transported his friends to help finish the job.

 **Look out on the street now the party's just beginning  
The music's playing a celebration's starting  
Under the street lights the scene is being set  
A night for romance a night you won't forget**

They were very successful with that mission. Even Charley found herself slipping on an oil spill and nearly crashing into him. They all had a good laugh afterwards.

While Vinnie and Modo rested off their pain, Charley sat with him in their living room and bandaged him up. She wrapped up his ribs and ankle. He tried to laugh as she chastised his recklessness but, he was barely able to breathe at that point. It was the first time she had actually picked up some rum and told him to take a couple sips to ease some of his pain.

 **So come join the fun this ain't no time to be staying home  
Oh there's too much going on  
Tonight is gonna be a night like you've never known  
We're gonna have a good time the whole night long**

He fell asleep on the couch and she placed a blanket over the top of him. It was one of the few times she spent the night at the stadium. When he awoke the next morning, he found her sitting in a rocking chair beside, sleeping. He had never felt so safe as he did at that moment and he had never wanted to protect someone so badly as he did with Charley. But, Vinnie has his eyes on her and he never broke the bro code when it came to ladies.

It wasn't until about a year ago, when they found Harley alive and finally brought her back to civilization. It took her some time to readjust to being with her own kind but, once she did, Vinnie made his move and they got back together. Which left Charley available but, not himself.

Just as it was looking as though he was going to be able to finally ask Charley out, his parents came to a decision that brought him to an even lower point in is life.

Pulling Charley closer into his embrace, he thought he heard her sigh as he hot breath blew gently across the fur on his chest. Resting his head next to her forehead, he could feel her pulse rising in his wrist as the corners of her mouth lifted into a ghost of a smile.

 **Oh, to the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Dance until the morning light  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
You can leave them all behind  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Oh the rhythm of the night, oh**

"Hey Carbine. You don't look like you're feeling well. Let's go to the ladies room" Harley commented as she gave her friend a nudge.

"Ok" Carbine agreed, smiling as she watched her fiance and her friend dance. She knew Throttle wanted to be Charley but, it was right now impossible due to their engagement.

"Is everything alright?" Stoker asked as soon as he saw a glassy glaze come over his niece's eyes.

"I'll be fine" Carbine stated as she followed Harley to the bathroom and they went to the last stall which was the largest one.

"You haven't told them yet have you?" Harley asked as she rummaged through the bag.

"No" Carbine shook her head as she put the lid down on the toilet and sat down.

"As your friend, you need to say something. This won't be a secret for very much longer" Harley gruffly said as soon as she found a small black container. Opening it, she found a pre-loaded syringe with a covered hypodermic needle.

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know. I just don't know how to tell them" Carbine stated as she turned to the side.

 **Come join the fun this ain't no time to be staying home  
Ooh there's too much going on, oh  
Tonight is gonna be a night like you've never known  
We're gonna have a good time the whole night long, oh**

"You and I both know that these treatments are only putting a bandage over a gaping wound that will never heal" Harley stated, hoping to get through to Carbine about the importance of telling some what was really going on. She parted some of Carbine's fur and quickly injected her with the medication.

"I know. Soon. I promise" Carbine said as she felt the burn as the substance went into her arm.

"Okay, I'm holding you to that promise" Harley stated as she put everything back into its proper place so no one would know what was going on.

Walking out of the bathroom, Carbine felt a little bit better but, knew it was only a matter of time before she was going to need another treatment. The injections were only temporary but, pretty soon, even they would become ineffective. Her body was already developing a resistance to it.

"They look good together, don't they?" Carbine questioned Harley as she pointed in the direction of Throttle and Charley, who were swaying to the music.

"To be honest, yes" Harley sighed, knowing that there was nothing either of them could do to make things right.

 **To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Dance until the morning light  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
You can leave them all behind**

"I'm going to find a way to make things right for everyone. I just don't know how yet" Carbine grumbled as they made their way back over to their table and sat down.

They spent the rest of the night, drinking, dancing, and laughing.

Throttle and Modo drove Carbine and Charley back to Carbine's home and placed the slumbering girls into Carbine's bed. Modo left Throttle to get blankets on the girls because, he had to go get Rimfire from his late night job at a local mechanics shop.

Throttle removed both Carbine's and Charley's shoes and gave them a gentle toss onto the floor. As he grabbed one of Carbine's lighter weight blankets, Charley rolled onto her back, one leg was stretched out while the other one was slightly bent and angled off to the side, giving him ample view of her underwear.

He now knew that she wore thongs and that knowledge made him smile. He always wondered what she wore under her pants and now he knew. He almost felt guilty for looking but, not that guilty.

After getting them covered up, he walked out of the house and drove back to his parents' house for a good night's sleep. He also hoped to have some good dreams about Charley.

 **To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Dance until the morning light  
Forget about the worries on your mind**

 **Oh, to the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Forget about the worries on your mind  
La la la la, la la la la la la  
La la la la, la la la la la la  
The music's playin', it's a celebration  
The music's playin', everybody dance  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night  
Forget about the worries on your mind (you can leave them all behind)  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night (dance until the morning light)  
Forget about the worries on your mind (you can leave them all behind)  
To the beat of the rhythm of the night (oh, oh, oh, oh)**

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get it up. If anyone had any questions, comments, concerns, or something that you would like to see featured in one of the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to everyone. Special shoutout to Yankee71 and DinoDragonMaster.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: More questions than answers**

Vinnie awoke and found himself cuddled up next to Harley. Smiling to himself, he leaned over and began to nibble on her neck. He heard her groan and she rolled over to face him, smiling as she looked up and kissed him.

 **Am I throwing you off?  
Nope  
Didn't think so  
**

How fiercely Vinnie wanted Harley, yet, he fought against going to quickly with her. He wanted her to desire their union as badly as he. Their future would be filled with such moments, for he would not take no for an answer when he would finally ask her to marry him.

 **How you doin' young lady  
That feelin' that you givin' really drives me crazy  
You don't have to play about the joke  
I was at a loss of words first time that we spoke**

As he continued to kiss her, he slowly snaked his hand up inside her dress and cupped her at the juncture of her thighs, where he could feel the pulsing at the center of her passion. As he began to caress her there, he felt her body begin to tremble, her gasp of alarm against his lips.

 **You're looking for a girl that'll treat you right  
You lookin' for her in the day time with the light  
You might be the type if I play my cards right  
I'll find out by the end of the night**

But he did not pull his hand away. He continued to gently stroke her, smiling to himself when he felt her relaxing, and now emitting soft sighs against his lips.

 **You expect me to just let you hit it  
But will you still respect me if you get it**

Harley was becoming weak, her senses dazzled by his skills of awakening her to passion. His hand was where no other man's hands had been in a long time, and his other hand was lifting her dress slowly up and away from her.

 **All I can do is try, gimme one chance  
What's the problem I don't see no ring on your hand**

Harley knew that she should stop this madness that had begun between them.

 **I be the first to admit it, I'm curious about you, you seem so innocent**

But, she was too full of strange, wondrous desire to turn her back on whatever else lay ahead these next few moments with the man that she loved with all of her heart.

 **You wanna get in my world, get lost in it  
Boy I'm tired of running, lets walk for a minute**

Vinnie leaned slightly away from Harley in order that he could remove her dress. Then, once it was tossed aside and his hands were smoothing over her body, feeling her slim, graceful loveliness with his fingers, excitement leapt inside him. His hands moved to her breasts and cupped them, his lips lowering a nipple, nipping it with his teeth.

 **Promiscuous girl  
Wherever you are  
I'm all alone  
And it's you that I want**

Harley's heart raced, her breathing almost out of control. She was acutely aware of Vinnie's body as he now knelt beside her and discarded all his clothes. Harley's face heated with blush as she gazed down at him, the first time she had ever seen this part of his anatomy.

 **Promiscuous boy** **  
** **You already know** **  
** **That I'm all yours** **  
** **What you waiting for?**

Something strange happened in the pit of her stomach, as though someone had set a fire within her, when he began to move his hand in slow strokes over his hardness. It was such a seductive sight, and Harley realized by the way his jaw tightened and the muscles of his legs corded that what he was doing must be intensely pleasurable and was definitely something he picked up from being on Earth for so long.

 **Promiscuous girl** **  
** **You're teasing me** **  
** **You know what I want** **  
** **And I got what you need**

She watched his expression as his eyes closed and his teeth gritted together, wondering how anything could feel that wonderful, to cause such a reaction.

 **Promiscuous boy** **  
** **Let's get to the point** **  
** **Cause we're on a roll** **  
** **Are you ready?**

Suddenly Vinnie placed his hands on her shoulders.

 **Roses are red** **  
** **Some diamonds are blue** **  
** **Chivalry is dead** **  
** **But you're still kinda cute**

Little stabs of warmth ran through Harley and she felt a strange new sensation rise in her as his hands slid down her back, cupping her buttocks. Slowly, Vinnie laid her back down on the soft blankets, then moved over her.

 **Hey! I can't keep my mind off you** **  
** **Where you at, do you mind if I come through**

Trembling, she let him part her thighs and caress the damp valley, unleashing waves of weakness in her lower limbs. She was acutely aware of his pulsating hardness, now pressed against her thigh.

 **I'm out of this world come with me to my planet** **  
** **Get you on my level do you think that you can handle it?**

As he slowly entered her coaxing sweetness from her, Vinnie kissed her again, his mouth forcing her lips apart, his tongue hungrily surging between her teeth.

 **They call me Thomas** **  
** **last name Crown** **  
** **Recognize game** **  
** **I'm a lay mine's down** **  
**

She felt herself surrendering to him, thrilling to every nuance of his love making. She did not even cry out with the shock of his first plunge inside her. A mild discomfort from adjusting to his size, only momentarily robbed her sense of pleasure, before she once again abandoned herself to wild ecstasy.

 **I'm a big girl I can handle myself** **  
** **But if I get lonely I'ma need your help** **  
** **Pay attention to me I don't talk for my health**

Sculpturing himself to her moist body, Vinnie anchored Harley fiercely still as he pressed endlessly deeper inside her. She knew that the passion he offered her would overshadow any pain that she had felt.

 **I want you on my team** **  
** **So does everybody else.**

His hands moved down her body and cupped her buttocks, relishing their softness, then urged her hips into his, glad when she strained toward him on her own. Their naked bodies sucked at each other, fur against fur in a gentle rhythm.

 **Baby we can keep it on the low** **  
** **Let your guard down ain't nobody gotta know** **  
** **If you with it girl I know a place we can go**

A surge of ecstasy welled within Harley, filling her, spilling over and drenching her with a sweet warmth. She twined her arms around Vinnie's neck and clung to him as she felt a great shudder in his loins and then experienced an incredible splash of bliss, crying out at her fulfillment as his body subsided exhaustedly into hers.

 **What kind of girl do you take me for?**

Stunned by the intensity of the feelings that had overwhelmed her, like a white heat traveling through her veins, she lay within Vinnie's arms, breathing raggedly. She was afraid that if either of them moved, she would discover that of this had been of her imagination, caused by her longing to be with this handsome Martian mouse.

 **Don't be mad, don't get mean** **  
** **Don't get mad, don't be mean**

But, when he stirred and slid away from her, yet only as far as to lie at her side, one of his hands still on her of her breasts as though it belonged there, she realized that, yes, all of this had been real enough.

 **Hey! Don't be mad, don't get mean** **  
** **Don't get mad, don't be mean**

 **P.O.V.**

Groaning, Carbine awoke about an hour before the sun was suppose to come up to sue the bathroom. Rubbing her lower back as she got into a sitting position on her bed, she knew exactly why she felt so miserable. She, Charley, and Harley were out pretty late last night having a good time for themselves. She vaguely recalled Throttle and Modo carrying them into her parent's home.

 **Wait! I don't mean no harm** **  
** **I can see you with my t-shirt on**

Looking over at the other side of the bed, she saw Charley was still asleep, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. She watched as Charley rolled from her side to laying on her stomach, the blanket falling to her hips.

 **I can see you with nothing on** **  
** **feeling on me before you bring that on**

Carbine slowing stood up, coughing as quietly as she could as she made her way over to the bathroom. Closing the door, she knelt down beside the toilet and the coughing became more aggressive. She finally coughed so hard that her throat felt raw. Using one of her hands, she wiped her mouth and felt some warm moisture on the back of her hand. Turning on a light, Carbine looked down and saw streaks of blood on her hand.

 **Bring that on** **  
** **You know what I mean**

As Carbine attempted to stand, she could feel a numbness shooting through both her legs and her throat was so raw from the coughing fit that she couldn't cry out for help. Slowly, she used her upper body to lower herself back down to the floor. Leaning her back against the wall, she could hear her parents in their room talking in nearly hushed voices.

 **Girl, I'm a freak you shouldn't say those things**

"So, my dear, what are we to do about our little human problem?" Carbine heard her father ask as he paced across the hard floor.

 **I'm only trying to get inside your brain** **  
** **To see if you can work me the way you say**

"That female needs to go before she creates further issues with our people" her mother growled softly as the bed creaked.

 **It's OK, it's alright** **  
** **I got something that you gonna like**

"You know our daughter respects that creature even though it is obvious that she wants our daughter's future" he mumbled.

 **Hey is that the truth or are you talking trash** **  
** **Is your game M.V.P. like Steve Nash**

 _What is he talking about? Charley doesn't give to shits about taking anything from anyone. Hell, she doesn't even know that Throttle's likes her._

 **Promiscuous Girl** _ **  
**_ **Wherever you are** _ **  
**_ **I'm all alone** _ **  
**_ **And its you that I want**

"Well, it doesn't matter if she wants anything or not. She has to be gotten rid of before any cross contamination happens between her and any of our reputable males" she harshly stated.

 **Promiscuous Boy** **  
** **I'm calling your name** **  
** **But you're driving me crazy** **  
** **The way you're making me wait**

"This is true. When do you think we need to dispose of her?" he inquired.

 **Promiscuous Girl** **  
** **You're teasing me** **  
** **You know what I want** **  
** **And I got what you need**

"Just before the wedding. Right now, Carbine keeps Charley with her at all times. They will have to be separated while Charley and Carbine are getting dressed" she mentioned.

 **Promiscuous Boy** **  
** **We're one in the same** **  
** **So we don't gotta play games no more**

"Why not afterwards? Carbine will be in the ceremonial chamber with Throttle and she will not be able to protect her then" he calmly spoke.

 _Not if I have anything to do with it._

"Good point. Less stress involved. We just simply have to find a way to have her arrested and someplace to exile her before anyone finds out" she maliciously chuckled as quietly as she could, so as not to wake the sleeping girls.

"Excellent. Now, we can continue on with planning our lovely girl's wedding" he stated.

 _Well, you two are going to be in for a shock. This is one bride who will make sure that her best friend was going to be protected no matter what. I just need to find a legal way to do so._

 _I thought I was past homework!_

* * *

 **I wish to thank all readers and reviewers. I am also sending a special thank you to Yankee71 for their recommendation on Promiscuous. Again, if anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or something that they would like to see in future chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sneaky tactics**

Over the past several weeks, Carbine had spent a lot of time in the newly built library. She was trying to locate some sort of legal way to help Charley out without her finding out until everything was said and done. She was also trying to discover a way to get out of this arranged marriage.

She had also placed Harley in charge of keeping Charley safe and out of reach of her parents. She didn't want anyone gaining that kind of easy access to her best friend.

 **I'm not always strong  
And sometimes I'm even wrong  
But I win when I choose  
And I can't stand to lose**

Marriage was a truly ancient institution that predated any recorded history. But, early marriage was seen as a strategic alliance between families, with the youngsters often having no say in the matter. Carbine ground her teeth in frustration over this. The choice of a marriage partner was very important, however, as this marriage was a combination of families and was suppose to strengthen the family's social position. She didn't think it would do anything more than drive a wedge between their families.

Courtship was suppose to teach young people about social interaction; the parties and visits ensured that they met many eligible partners. Some young females even lived with distant relatives in order to meet a larger numbers of eligible young males. Weddings were suppose to be joyously celebrated as occasions that affirmed the young couple's affection and thus binding of family ties, but they could also be a time of painful separation as the young females left their parents' homes forever. Courtship and marriage, life passages, were important milestones in the formation of the community, consciousness, and culture of their people.

According to everything that she had researched, arranged marriages on Mars used to be very common practice. Much like Earth. Of course, these types of marriages have declined over the years with social mobility and with the increase in individualism. But, nevertheless, the arranged marriages still took place among the royal families, aristocrats, and some of the more extreme religious groups. Their families fell into the latter two categories.

 **But I can't always be  
The rock that you see  
When the nights get too long  
And I just can't go on**

Also, because of their parents high rank among the people, they could pretty much say or do anything that they wanted without the fear of repercussions for the people. But, Carbine felt as though, in this circumstance, the public's love for Charley would supersede their ideas. Unfortunately, Carbine had to make sure there was more than one trick up her sleeve to protect Charley.

As she furthered her investigation, she found a couple of loop-holes that she planned on using in order to ensure Charley's safety. According to another section that she read, it was normally the oldest child who was to get married first. Afterwards, the rest could marry at their leisure.

The problem was, Carbine didn't have an older sister. But, upon further searching, she found a little spot in which it stated that it didn't matter if the child was adopted or not. First marriage went to the eldest.

This got Carbine to thinking about the whole situation a little further. Charley was older than Carbine by only a month and if she could find a way to adopt Charley into the family, that would not only protect her from Carbine's parents but, it would also ensure a good marriage for the eldest children.

According to everything that she read, it was perfectly legal to adopt an adult. It was a form of adoption between two or more adults in order to transfer inheritance rights and/or filiation. Adult adoption could be done for various reasons including: to establish intestate inheritance rights.

This got Carbine to thinking. If she was able to legally adopt Charley as her sister, then that would make her legally her parents' daughter. And by marrying Throttle, she would gain further advantage and security from his household name along with hers.

Now, just to get her to do it without an argument. Charley was nearly as stubborn as herself and would certainly think Carbine had lost her mind if she told her the truth about what her mom and dad had in store for her. No, she had to be sneaky about the whole thing and reveal everything to Charley after the fact.

 **The day of the wedding**

"Charley" Carbine called out as she walked into the bathroom, where Charley was taking a shower and attempting to get ready for the wedding.

"What's up?" Charley inquired as she slightly pulled back the shower curtain.

 **The woman in me  
Needs you to be  
The man in my arms  
To hold tenderly**

"I hate to ask but, I really need your help" Carbine gave her the most pleading look as she clasped her hands together, practically begging.

"Anything. Just name it" Charley always loved it when one of her friends asked her for help on Mars. It made her feel as though she was earning her keep.

"I just received word that there might be problem with some possible Plutarkians on the outskirts of town" Carbine had practiced this speech so many times that it slipped right through her lips without any issues.

"Okay. What do you need me to do?" Charley asked as she reached out and grabbed the towel off the back side of the toilet.

"Well, I need you to temporarily take my place at the wedding while I scope out the situation" Carbine stated as she watched Charley step out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her torso and her damp red hair hanging below her shoulders.

"Take your place? What do you mean?" Charley was already confused by what Carbine was asking out of her.

"Being that I am a general and you're still a civilian here on Mars, it's my duty to look out for our people" Carbine stated.

"Okay. Could you be more specific?" Charley inquired as she sat down on the toilet seat and looked up at Carbine, who was dressed in her uniform.

 **'Cause I'm a woman in love  
And it's you I run to  
Yeah the woman in me  
Needs the man in you**

"Alright. It's not like we haven't switched roles before and it's not like anyone's going to notice the difference. I just need you to dress up as me and sign the paperwork with my name. I know that the ceremony usually takes a short amount of time but, that's why I need you to do this for me and my duty can't wait until afterwards" Carbine made sure that she sounded very confident in what she was telling Charley.

"Alright. You know I would do anything to help you out" Charley finally agreed to be the bride but, was still unsure if she could pull it all off.

"Awesome. Thank you so much" Carbine was nearly giddy at this point.

"Any time" Charley said with a smile.

"Oh! One more thing. Could I get you to sign this?" Carbine asked as she pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her back pocket.

"Sure, what is it?" Charley asked.

"It's basically a letter stating that in the event that something happens to me that you will be taking responsibility for Throttle. Basically watching over him so he and his two partners in crime don't create too much chaos" Carbine confidently said as she handed the pen and paper over to Charley.

"Okay. I already do that but, I guess Mars has different rules" Charley had no problems agreeing to signing the paper that Carbine handed over to her. She quickly signed it and handed back over to her friend.

"Thanks. You're the best and yes we do" Carbine chuckled as she quickly locked her bedroom door and opened up her closet to reveal the wedding dress.

 **When the world wants too much  
And it feels cold and out of touch  
It's a beautiful place  
When you kiss my face**

Carbine had a small bedroom, done in the color blue, only a twelve by twelve foot with a small walk-in closet next to her small bathroom. In the center of her bedroom was a queen size captain's bed that had twelve draws underneath it. On either side of her bed was a bookcase that had a few nick-knacks on the shelves. She also had a small dresser opposite in her bed. On either side of her dress was a window. Her closet was only a five foot by six foot closet but, it held everything that she could possibly need or want in it. Her bathroom matched her bedroom color and was a standard bath with a corner shower, toilet, and a basic pedestal sink.

"Are you sure about this?" Charley asked as she pulled out her undergarments that she had specifically purchased on Earth to be able to wear under her dress for the wedding but, now that she was going to pretend to be the bride, she felt as though it might be too little.

"Oh! That's sexy! Where did you get that?" Carbine asked as she watched Charley pull out a sexy bustier.

 **The woman in me  
Needs you to be  
The man in my arms  
To hold tenderly**

"Earth. A couple of weeks ago" Charley was not the type to splurge on something so risque but, it called out her name and she just had to have it.

"I can't wait to see what that looks like on" Carbine was really excited to see what her friend was going to wear underneath the wedding dress.

Charley dressed in the bathroom and then came out in her new undergarments.

"That's hot!" Carbine grinned from ear to ear as she watched Charley do a slow turn. Charley was wearing a white Gothic Jacquard over-bust corset with shoulder straps and a side zipper. She even wore matching underwear that hugged her in all the right places.

"Thanks. Could you tighten up the back just a bit" Charley said with a smile, just grateful that her friend approved of her risque outfit.

"Not a problem" Carbine giggled as she stood behind Charley and began to work the laces.

The first thing she did was made sure that the modesty panel was in the correct position, laying flat across her back. She was grateful that the laces were already in their correct position or else she would not have known what to do. She then tightened the laces just tight enough so the corset would stay in place. Next, she made second pass and tightened the laces even further, all the while making sure that the panel of fabric didn't move or bunch up. After the laces were tighten enough, she made a final pull on the four strings to tighten up the waist area. Then, she tied all four sets of laves into a bow and double-knotted it.

"Well, nothing's going to move" Charley chuckled as she looked at herself in the mirror and then back at Carbine.

 **'Cause I'm a woman in love  
And it's you I run to  
Yeah the woman in me  
Needs the man in you**

"True that. Now, let's get you dressed before anyone comes in" Carbine stated as she grabbed the heavy dress and helped Charley into it. After it was on, she buttoned up the back and then allowed Charley to see herself in the mirror.

"Wow. What mechanic!?" Charley stated as she watched Carbine reach into back into the closet and pull out a box.

"Black hair in a box" Carbine joked as she pulled out the waist length dark wig.

"Just in case some catches a glimpse of hair?" Charley questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah. Last I checked, I wasn't a red nor were you a brunette" Carbine mentioned as she brushed Charley's hair away from her face and pulled her thick mane back into a low ponytail and then pinned it into a bun. Carefully, she put the long wig on her head and pinned it in place. Under normal circumstances, she would have used a wig cap but, was unable to locate one.

"Let's hope we can pull this one off without anyone noticing" Charley sighed as she looked at herself with now very dark colored hair.

"Now, remember, you don't have to say a word the entire time. It's actually one of the rules that the females never talk during the ceremony because, the males find it rude and we are suppose to be subservient to them" Carbine shook her head as she went back into the closet and pulled out the thick veil.

"We know for a fact that is absolutely crazy and that should be made null and void this day in age" Charley chuckled as she watched Carbine put the veil on her head and pinned it into place.

"Four thousand pounds worth of material and all for a few hours of ceremony time. Ugh. When this is all over, we are so going out to Earth and having a good time" Carbine commented as she looked at the watch on her hand and saw that it was almost showtime.

"Almost time?" Charley questioned.

 **Yeah the woman in me  
Needs the man in you**

"Yeah. I'm going to unlock the door and climb out the window" Carbine stated as she opened the window first.

"Be careful and good luck" Charley whispered as she heard voices coming from down the hall.

"You too! I'll meet you at the honeymoon suite" Carbine stated as she gave Charley a quick hug, pulled the veil over her face, unlocked the door, and fled out the window.

Charley straightened the veil as soon as she heard the door beginning to open. Her heart pounded as she heard the sound of footsteps enter the room.

"Oh Carbine, you make such a lovely bride" came the sound of her mother's voice.

"Is she ready?" her father inquired in a very gruff tone.

Charley nodded her head in compliance and carefully picked up the skirt of her dress. She felt her mother place her hand on one of her arms and helped in directing her out of the bedroom and towards the ceremonial site. After exiting the bedroom, she felt her father place his hand on her other arm in a possessive manner that actually made Charley feel fearful and it took everything in her being not to shake.

"Obviously" her mother stated before going silent as the rules demanded.

"Good. You females take too long to get ready and are always late to everything" he grumbled as he directed his daughter towards the front door and out into the street. He couldn't wait to get her married off to someone who could possibly control their daughter who wanted to play with the boys.

Charley heard Carbine's mother growl and then sigh, knowing that the rules forbade her from saying another word until after the ceremony. Charley could almost hear her mother's eyes roll as she groaned out of frustration at the whole situation.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the building where everything was suppose to take place. She heard her heels come in contact with the solid stone floor. Looking down, she could see the pale red stonework under her feet. Taking a deep breath, she maintained her steady pace until they reach the main hall. She could smell the scent of fire in the room as some music played softly in the background.

She hadn't even realized she was holding her breath until her father gave her arm a firm pull as he forced her up to the front of the crowd. After she came to stop, she looked down and saw a pair of black leather boots. Smiling, she knew that it was Throttle and that she was helping them both out by being in the right place at the right time.

"Let's get this over with" Charley heard him grumble and she knew why. He didn't want to get married any more than Carbine did. She nodded her head in compliance as he grasped both her gloved hands in his. She heard the minister clear his throat with a soft cough, indicating he was ready to get this over with.

 **I need you baby  
Yeah yeah  
Oh baby**

 _Wow. Carbine's hands feel smaller than I remember and she smells amazing. She must have borrowed some of Charley's shampoo._

"Let us take the first step to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living. Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers. Let us take the third step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use. Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust. Let us take the fifth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children. Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity. Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock." he said as he closed up his book and pulled out a scroll along with a pen.

"Throttle, this is where you will sign" he stated, pointing to a blank space on the paper.

Charley heard Throttle groan as the he signed on the bottom of the page. She heard him hand it back to the minister and she could practically hear his toes thumping inside his boots as he waited, impatiently, for this whole thing to be over with.

"You will sign below his name" he stated as he handed the page to her.

Carefully, Charley moved the veil around so she could see what she suppose to be signing for Carbine. As she attempted to sign Carbine's name below Throttle's, something strange was happening with the pen. It wasn't allowing her to sign Carbine's name. Instead, she was forced to sign her own name on the certificate. She wanted to throw up and hoped that no one would notice the difference. She figured if anyone did, an annulment would be simple enough.

Her hands shook in fear as she stared at the piece of paper that was temporarily binding her to Throttle. Taking a shallow breath, Charley regained control of her own emotions and steadied her hands. Slowly, she handed the pen and paper back to the minister and prayed no one would say anything.

"You two are now mated for life" he said cheerfully.

 _At least until we can get this marriage annulled and correct everything. By the Gods Carbine, I can't wait to see you and tell you what the hell happened. Especially about that crazy pen! What was that all about._

"Come now, my dear, let's escort you to the suite where you will wait for your mate to show" Charley heard Throttle's mother murmur as she felt her hand on her arm, gently urging her out of the room and towards the honeymoon suite, which was directly across from the ceremony site.

Charley felt much trepidation as she was led away from everything and into another room, where she was expected to sit and wait for Throttle. She just hoped Carbine would be there shortly.

 **P.O.V.**

"I'm so sorry Charley" Carbine whispered as she watched Throttle's mother escort her to the honeymoon suite.

Carbine had set everything in motion to where her friend would be safe. The paperwork that she had Charley sign earlier was her legal adoption that was now officially notarized by her man who owed her a few favors. She was very happy to have skipped over a few formalities or else it would have taken much longer and there would have been a lot more issues involved.

Carbine made her way back to her bedroom, where she planned on waiting to see how her plan was going to play out. She knew that there wasn't anything that anyone could do now. All the papers were signed and everything was now legal official. She just hoped that everyone would forgive her for her deception.

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or something that you would like to see feature in one of the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Trapped**

"We're here" Charley heard Elaine say as the older female mouse guided her through the door and assisted her in finding a place to sit.

"You sure took your sweet time" Charley heard Lilith snap.

Charley felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard her speak. This female obviously had issues with everything...including her own species.

"Well, Carbine's still not allowed to remove her veil to be able to see where she's going. Don't you remember what it was like all those years ago?" Elaine stated, matter-of-factly with a mild chuckle.

 _Good old Elaine. She always knows how to say things just right. I like her._

""She should have this walk memorized to the point of where she doesn't need any help" Lilith retorted.

 _That woman needs a reality check._

"But still, we both have to be here anyway to guard her from any possible intrusions until Throttle arrives" Elaine calmly responded in a positive way as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Huh. It looks like your friend, what's her name again, Charley, left you a note" Lilith announced with a snippy attitude, handing her the note.

 _A note? I didn't write one._ Charley thought as she slid her hand out from under the heavy veil and felt Lilith place the letter in her hand. Quietly, Charley opened the envelope and pulled the note out from inside. Unfolding it, she read the letter quietly.

" _Dear Charley,_

 _I'm guessing by now that you've probably figured out that I'm not going to be meeting you in the honeymoon suite. There's so many things that I really wanted to tell you but, was not able to._

 _First things first, my mother and father are not to be trusted. Here's the reason why: I overheard them talking one early morning about you and it was not in a good way. They planned on having you arrested after the wedding and then throwing you into exile, with no chance of being bale to get back to Earth. There was no way I would be able to confront them about their plot. So, I had to do things a little differently._

 _Secondly, because of their plans, I had to get creative. That paper that I had you sign this morning, was for you to be legally adopted into the family. Making you their daughter and my sister. Of course, I always cover my tracks and make sure that there isn't anything that they could do to change it._

 _Due to the fact that you are the older between the two of us, it was actually your duty to marry Throttle. Thereby, it secured and certified your place on Mars among the Martian citizens. Specifically the higher ranks such as those of mine and Throttle's parents. Our higher rank affords you better quality of life._

 _The best way I can explain it is that Throttle would be considered a Marquee,_ _who is_ _responsible for defense of border lands and he has more men at arms than other nobles. My family is slightly lower in rank, being more closely related to a count. Ours is an honorary title that was given to us for services rendered many years ago. We were granted land and a small county. Unfortunately, our title isn't hereditary but, since we have quite an extensive estate it is able to be passed down but, with no sons it's worthless. Hence the reason for the rushed and forced marriage on our parent's end._

 _Lastly, something else that I haven't told you; I have been unwell for quite some time now. As far as anyone in the medical profession knows, there is now known cure for what is ailing me._

 _In the beginning, I really wasn't aware that I was very sick. I knew something was wrong with me but, couldn't pin-point it. I was coughing a lot and my chest ached but, I contributed that to being out in the desert and traveling back and forth to Earth. After some time, I tried taking the usual over the counter medication from Mars and I also tried some Earth stuff as well. But, nothing seemed to help and no one else was getting sick._

 _It took me almost three months before I sought help from Harley. It took me a while to get her to really look at me seriously. I can understand why. I had almost no symptoms of being sick. After we ran multiple tests, we finally came to the discovery that it was some sort of spore that I had breathed in at some point in my fighting career against the Plutarkians. It took me some time to accept my fate._

 _After accepting what was wrong with me, I realized how limited my options were and that I was basically putting a bandage over a gushing wound. But, that is neither here nor there. What I have, is not contagious but, we have no cure for it._

 _I've been managing my illness now for a couple of months now but, all is not well. I've begun to develop a resistance to the medication that Harley has been giving to me and pretty soon, it won't be enough._

 _I honestly didn't want to marry Throttle and have him be burdened with me being sick and with the expectation of a child that would never come to fruition weighed heavily on my mind and my heart. It would not be fair to anyone for me, knowing how sick I am, to create heartache for everyone around me. It's going to be hard enough as it is when my time comes and to add insult to injury is wrong._

 _I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for all of this. Just know, that everything that I've done has been to the best of my abilities. And, know that I love you like a sister._

 _From the bottom of my heart,_

 _Carbine"_

Charley's heart swelled with grief as she realized just how much Carbine had given up of herself just to protect her. It was all she could do to not scream out her pain as she held the letter to her chest and, in her own way, grieved. It took every fiber in her being not to shake with sorrow as she held fast to her resolve not to give her identity away to Lilith or Elaine.

"Ah, my son, you're finally here" Elaine cheerfully stated when the door opened.

"Alright. You two can go" Throttle grumbled as he ushered his mother and mother-in-law out of the room, finally allowing Carbine to have some breathing space.

"Good night, deary" Elaine softly responded as she walked out of the suite.

"Night mom" Throttle replied as he slowly started to close the door but, stopped short when noticed Modo and Vinnie coming his way.

"Vin. Modo" Throttle softly insisted as he used his hand to usher them towards him.

"Hey bro! What's up?" Vinnie inquired as he watched Throttle step out of the room but, not close the door completely.

"Have you guys seen Charley?" Throttle inquired as he leaned his back against the door jam.

"No man" Modo answered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"She wasn't at the wedding. I fear something bad has happened to her" Throttle voiced his concern to his two friends.

"We'll tear this city apart and find her" Vinnie enjoyed being the hero, which enabled him to show off his macho-hero ego.

"Thanks guys" Throttle's concern visibly noticeable to both of his friends as they each held out a hand and he reached for them, clutching strongly with his own before releasing to allow them to find their best friend.

 _Be safe._

Closing the door, he sighed, resigning himself to the hand that fate had dealt him. He was now, forever, married to Carbine. No divorce. No annulment. And not being able to explore a possible relationship with Charley. It tore him apart that decisions were made without consultation and it was the younger generation who was paying the price for the parents.

The suite contained a spacious bedroom with a round king size bed beneath a celestial ceiling, a personal refrigerator, remote-controlled television, along with a walk-in closet and massive twelve drawer dresser. The bathroom was beyond luxurious with it's heart-shaped whirlpool tub meant for two and glass enclosed shower that could fit two individuals very comfortably.

"Carbine. I know this isn't what either of us wanted in life" Throttle began to say as he came to stand in front of his wife. Wife. That was going to be a hard word to get used to saying.

Placing his hands on her slender shoulders, Throttle assisted her into a standing position. He knew this was going to take some time, for the both of them, to get used to having to be together. To be in each others space. To be more than just what they wanted to be.

"I guess you overheard that Charley's missing" Throttle said as he began to raise the veil up only to have a hand rest on his wrist. That's when he noticed there was a letter in that hand. He quickly lifted the veil the rest of the way up and noticed it was Charley underneath it.

"Charley!" Throttle was in complete shock at seeing her face surrounded by very dark hair.

"Yeah. It's Carbine whose missing not me" Charley gasped, finally being allowed to talk.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Throttle grasped Charley by the shoulders and forced her to look up at him.

"That's just what I'm trying to tell you!" Charley hissed as she explained everything to him as she handed him the note that Carbine had written to her. She watched as Throttle raised an eyebrow as he read the letter while she explained to him what was happening.

"Well, it could always be worse" Charley nonchalantly stated as she removed the wig, allowing her auburn tresses to fall down her back.

"What do you mean?" Throttle questioned as he looked at Charley.

"Well, I'm sure once we explain everything then we'll be able to just get this marriage annulled and..." Charley started to say but, was quickly cut off by Throttle.

"Charley, there is no annulling our marriage or such thing as getting divorced. We're married for the rest of our lives" Throttle hoped that would bring it on home for her because, she was still going by Earth customs instead of Martian ones.

"What?" Charley was about on the verge of screeching once she heard what Throttle was telling her.

"That's right, sweetheart. Husband and wife" Throttle couldn't believe his luck. He had been looking for a way not to marry Carbine and she ended up putting Charley into his arms. Now that he knew Charley was safe and sound, he needed to locate Carbine.

"Where are you going?" Charley asked as she watched Throttle make a bee line for the door.

"Now that I know you're safe, I need to find Carbine and get some answers from her. I know what she was trying to do but, she should have informed me of what was going on" Throttle was upset but, not angry.

"Before you go, could you please undo these stupid buttons since I can't reach them" Charley inquired as she turned around, showing him the long line of buttons in the back.

"Yeah. I can do that" Throttle mumbled, not really wanting to put his hands on Charley due to the fact that they weren't there yet in their feelings.

"Thanks" Charley was doing her best to put on a brave face as she felt Throttle's fingers fumble as he cursed each of the tiny buttons.

"Not a problem" Throttle's fingers shook as each button came undone, revealing the back of her sexy undergarment. He tried to hold his breath as he got to the very last one, revealing all the lace at the back of her corset.

"What?" Charley inquired once she realized that Throttle had stopped but, she could feel the heat of his breath against some of her bare skin.

"I always wanted to know what you were going to wear underneath your dress" Throttle's voice went raspy as his mouth became parched.

"Throttle" Charley murmured as she turned around to look at him, a tiny bit of fear in her eyes as she looked up at him. She didn't know what was expected of her nor did she know what lay underneath Throttle's clothes.

"If you're going to be okay for a few, I'm going to go find Carbine" Throttle quickly backed away from Charley once he came to the realization that she was uncertain of what to do next. He wasn't sure if she had been with anyone or not but, he did know that she had never been intimate with any one of his kind before.

"Okay. I'll be here" Charley said as she took his hint and moved to the opposite side of the room.

"I promise, I'll be back as quickly as I can" Throttle stated as he opened the door and found Modo standing outside.

"Dude! We looked everywhere for Charley and couldn't find her nowhere" Modo stated, completely exhausted from the search.

"It's all good. Charley's here with me. Seems that there was a switcheroo at the wedding. Could you please stand outside the door and guard Charley while I go look for Carbine?" Throttle asked, noticing that Vinnie was no where in sight.

"Sure and while you're at it, see if you can find Vinnie. We separated and I haven't been able to locate him either" Modo said.

"Not a problem. Be back shortly" Throttle aid as he patted Modo on the shoulder and took off as fast as he could to find Carbine and Vinnie. He had a feeling that Carbine was either with Harley or at her parent's house. Vinnie would be a little harder to locate if he wasn't with Harley.

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this newest chapter. If anyone has any comments, questions, concerns, or something that you would like to see in one of the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers. Special shout out to Yankee71 and DinoDragonMaster. Happy Labor Day to everyone.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Patience is a Virtue**

As Charley slid the heavy gown off of her body, she began to think about how she and Throttle were going to deal with this marriage. Neither of them was in the market to be in this position but, what was done is done. Nothing on Mars could change what had happened. They were both trapped in this marriage for the rest of their lives.

Charley's thoughts raced in every direction, finally returning to one inescapable fact. Throttle didn't really want her for herself and she damn sure didn't want a man who had no room in his heart for love. Especially after just recently breaking things off with Carbine and promptly being forced into marriage with her but, getting stuck with a human. Yet, what choice did she have? It was either stay married to Throttle and be legally Carbine's sister or be neither and face expulsion with no chance of being able to return to Earth.

She laid the dress on top of the bed, still feeling numb from the events of the day to feel much of anything else. She was married, married for the rest of her life to a man who wasn't human and obviously felt more at home riding a motorcycle than being married.

She was still pondering the rationality of her decision on taking Carbine's place while she scavenged through the closet to see if there was something that she could change into. She got lucky once she found a nice looking button down shirt that obviously belonged to Throttle. Stripping out of her corset, she laid the cumbersome undergarment on top of the wedding dress. She pulled on the soft silk shirt and started to button it up while she walked into the bathroom. Finding a mirror above the sink, she looked at herself in his shirt and found herself enjoying the sensation of wearing a man's article of clothing. The pale blue shirt was obviously brand new and hand long sleeves that she unbuttoned and rolled up her arms.

 **Whatever it is I do, I try to think about you  
I have a love for you that nothing hides  
Whatever it is I do, I'm only thinking of you  
I hope you look at me through patient eyes**

She figured that once Throttle got back to the suite, she could discuss with him the possibility of going clothes shopping tomorrow. She just hoped he had enough funds to be able to support the wardrobe endeavor. She also had to keep in mind that he didn't want to be married and may not feel too willing to purchase any articles of clothing for her. She also didn't think he would want her running around completely naked in front of him but, probably the thought of her constantly turning his clothes into her own might not be all that appealing to him.

A smile came across her face as she went back to the closet and found one of his belts. It was definitely bought on Earth because the name of it was Gucci. It was a black leather belt with silver studs all over it. Wrapping it around her waist, she laughed when it fell to and clung precariously to her hips. She had forgotten that Throttle, albeit having a slim waist, was still much broader than her own.

As the minutes passed, she found herself pacing the length of the room. Suddenly, she heard a soft knock on the door. Cautiously, she asked who it was and sighed with relief when she heard Modo's voice.

 **I've become amused  
I've become blind  
I've become what I know not breathes  
You seem illiterate to all my emotions**

"The staff brought you and Throttle some dinner. I told them that I would deliver it you" Modo stated when Charley opened the door.

"Thanks, big fella" Charley responded with a smile as he handed her a tray that was loaded with food.

"No problem," he said, tipping his head in her direction before softly closing the door.

Charley placed the tray of food on top of the dresser so it wouldn't damage the bed. Taking the lid off of the tray, she was actually impressed that the majority of the food was of Earth origin.

The appetizer was bacon-wrapped scallops with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil. The salad was made out of endives and pears with gorgonzola and toasted walnuts. The entree consisted of a rack of lamb with hollandaise roasted carrots. The dessert was an amazing German chocolate torte with raspberries and fresh whipped cream. All in all, the food looked incredible.

 **I stand corrected, how well you read  
You speak the truth, you speak the me  
You feel the love I have yet to find  
I know it's there, I know it's there**

Now, all she had to do was wait on Throttle but, she refused to starve while doing so. She also refused to go thirsty either. She figured it wouldn't hurt to look in the fridge and see if they had anything to drink in there. When she opened the fridge, she found several mini bottles of different wines and champagnes chilled. As she looked over each of the bottles, she finally found one that sounded appetizing. It was a nice deep red wine that reminded her of a cabernet sauvignon back on Earth. After tasting it, she came to the conclusion that it was a medium bodied wine with a delicious scent of cherries with a sweet vanilla and light herbs.

After taking a few large bites of the delicious meal, Charley grabbed a small portion of the cake and took the bottle of wine with her to sit on the round bed. Lying down on her stomach, she nibbled at the cake and began to think about how she and Throttle were going to work through this marriage. This was not something that either of them had thought about, let alone discussed at any point in time during their friendship.

After finishing off her dessert, she sat up and took a sip of wine straight from the bottle, and began to wonder how much longer it was going to be before Throttle got back. She was actually beginning to worry that something had happened to him as well as Vinnie.

 **But I let the sandcastles kill my mind  
Pathetic me, I long to be you  
I think I'm close but i stand so far  
The turbulent one sheds a turbulent tear**

Now, Vinnie, he was a completely different story. She cared for him but, the two of them were as opposite as night and day. She was grateful that Harley was finally found and made her way back into his life. They were perfect for one another and Charley couldn't be any happier for them.

Now, Modo, surprisingly, was showing signs that he had some feelings for Carbine. Not that it was her place to say anything to either of them. But, she did plan on talking to the big guy and giving him a nudge in that direction. Especially since she and Throttle were now permanently attached at the hip for better or worse.

This also got her to thinking about what was going to happen when they finally got around to finalizing the marriage. This was torture in her mind. To be lying next to Throttle every single night was going to be difficult. That's when her mind also got to thinking about what the first-time together was going to be like. She and Jack had attempted to have sex a couple of times but, it was always painful for her due to the fact that she had a very narrow pelvis and also suffered from spasms, which made it very uncomfortable for her to have sex.

Difficulty having sex and her parents' death created a massive impact on their engagement which was two of many factors that caused them to break up.

 **I miss the love only 'cause they starve'  
Oil and water, lust and sympathy  
I life and death my way through the sun  
Where originates all the pain that leaves**

And now, she was married to Throttle whose seductive smile and sexy body were making her even more aware of her situation. She wasn't even sure how she could explain it to him without feeling self-conscious. Here she was, knowing what human males looked like naked and been unsuccessful at having sex with them and now, she was expected to perform with Throttle, whom she had never seen naked nor had she seen any others of their species nude.

She became startled upon hearing voices outside the door, she tried to get up but, relaxed once she saw it was Throttle. She could tell by the look on his face that he had both good and bad news for her. She just wasn't too sure as to which one she should ask about first. Especially since she was now his wife and could ask more personal questions.

"Any luck" Charley inquired as she watched Throttle close and lock the door.

"Well, I have both good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first" Throttle replied as he grabbed the tray of food and placed it onto the bed, hoping to finally get an opportunity to sit down with Charley and take this time to figure out how they were going to deal with each other.

 **My memory a traumatic sponge and sings to you**

"Let's hear the good news first so the bad news won't sound as bad" she chuckled as she took another sip out of the wine bottle before handing it over to her husband. Husband...now that was a word that was going to take some getting used to for her.

"The good news is that I found Carbine back at her house, sitting on her bed. Apparently, she already knew that I was going to come looking for her" he stated as he accepted the bottle and took a long swig from it, effectively draining the rest of the liquid out of it.

"Oh, how did that go?" she questioned as she watched him finally eat his half of dinner with zealousness

"About as expected. She reiterated everything that she had written in her note to you and expressed how sorry she was for not telling you everything. She also explained that she wanted us to be happy" he felt miserable knowing that his ex-girlfriend was going to die before the year was out and there was nothing that anyone could do to save her life.

 **Well define my love with attitude  
Open up your mind and it will sing to you  
You can always tell  
But I know remorse so well**

"Happy? How are we suppose to be happy when we're married and not even in love with each?" she questioned.

"I guess that's something we will have to work through. We're very good friends and that's way more than what other forced marriages have. It's a start for us and we'll just see where it goes from there" he said as he took a bite out of his meal. He was starving and aroused by how dainty Charley looked in his shirt.

"By the way, nice shirt" he chuckled between bites.

"Thanks. I couldn't find anything for me to wear so, I borrowed it" she gave him a grin as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

"It looks better on you than it does on me" he mentioned as he used his sunglasses as a shield so he could peep her bare legs and the bright white, dainty boy cut underwear that she was wearing.

 **I left reality early due to the lack of love, reason**

"How about that bad news?" she questioned, feeling his eyes on her and it was in a way that made her feel a trail of heat from his hidden gaze.

"I couldn't locate Vinnie. I looked in all the normal places and even asked Harley if she had seen him since the wedding. Nothing. I'm actually starting to get a bit concerned for that wild child" he said as he removed his shades and placed them onto the tray.

"How about this? We've both been up for almost twenty-four hours straight. Why don't we get some sleep and try looking for Vincent Van Wham in the morning?" she knew they were both in desperate need of some rest and trying to locate Vinnie without much sleep was going to be very unsuccessful.

 **Whatever it is I do, I try to think about you  
I have a love for you that nothing hides  
Whatever it is I do, I'm only thinking of you  
I hope you look at me through patient eyes**

"Ok. You don't see me trying to argue with you on this one. I'm exhausted and this situation is very stressful for the both of us" he reached out and placed a hand on the side of her face, relishing the texture of her smooth skin against the palm of his hand.

"That it has been" she was in complete agreement with him this time.

"I wanna ask you something and I want you to be totally honest with me" he calmly stated as he took the empty tray and placed it back on the dresser. He was ready to get out of his clothes and take a long overdue nap.

"Okay. Ask me anything" she was prepared to answer any questions he had, including what she looked like naked. Of course, the getting naked part made her seriously uncomfortable and seeing him nude was making her very nervous.

 **The channel, a professional liar  
How I long to contradict those vibes  
Joni help me, I think I'm falling  
It's not the love and I quest the why**

"I probably already know the answer to this one but, here it goes, did you and Vinnie ever, you know?" he felt very uneasy asking her about her sexual experience but, he needed to know what he was dealing with.

"No. Vinnie and I never happened like that. He was still too in love with Harley to move forward and I'm very happy that they're back together. They are perfect for each other" she had a feeling that her new husband was testing the waters to see where she was physically at.

"I kind of figured that. Next question" he said as he took his leather vest off and tossed it onto the floor. Reaching under the heavy wedding dress, he lifted it up, along with her corset, and tossed them into the closet.

"Ok. Hit me" she was actually enjoying watching him move around without his vest on. The seductive play of his muscles as they flexed under his fur.

 **I don't know, If I'm right, I'm right  
But if I'm wrong then show me I'm wrong  
The fear of pity is always awake  
But infinite sympathy's completely gone**

"Have you ever been with anyone, in that way?" he felt as though he was fumbling a ball around on Quiggley field.

"Okay. Here's where we hit the gray area" she gritted her teeth at the thought of having to explain to him about her sexual problems.

"Oh! There's actually a gray area. Do tell" he laughed as he yanked his motorcycle boots and gave them a toss into a corner. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he ran his fingers through his hair before looking at Charley for answers.

"Jack and I tried to but, it didn't go well" she trailed off as she ended her sentence. She wasn't sure if she felt up for explaining to Throttle about what was wrong with her.

"Look, I know this isn't how either of us wanted our lives to go but, whatever it is, we'll get through it together," he said as he reached out both his hands and placed them on top of hers.

"You know my parents died and Jack and I broke a few months later because of all the stress that I was under. Well, there was more to it than that" she said, feeling embarrassed by what she was going to have to explain to him.

 **It's the windows, the doors, the passageways to the truth  
Oh my God, it echoes the mind  
In total recall as wild as the deuce  
And so deceiving is the clouded heart**

"Yeah. I know about that. So, there was more to it" he questioned as he watched her eyes seemed to waiver away from his face. He knew, whatever it was, had to be heartbreaking. Her actions alone were a dead give away.

"Yeah, and it was on my end, not his. You see, I have a bit a problem down there" she started to say, waiting for him to let her know it was okay to unload the entire issue onto his lap. It was hard for the both of them to communicate like this due to the fact that they had just been friends and never expected anything more to come about.

 **So superficial is the open wound  
I caress the infinite light  
That even at night overshadows the moon that sings to you**

"Go on. I'm an adult. I can take it" he wanted her to know that whatever was going on with her that she could come and talk to him about it. No secrets.

"You see, sex was incredibly painful for me and Jack couldn't handle the fact that every time we tried, I always ended up in tears. So, we called it quits. After that, I went to an OBGYN and got a thorough examination. Mind you, that hurt too. Come to find out that I actually have a medical condition called Vaginismus and I also have a very narrow pelvis to boot" she just hoped that didn't scare him too bad.

 **Well, define my love, that lives within you  
Even when I die, it will sing to you  
You can only tell if remorse has done you well  
The misconstrued my answers due to the lack of love, reason**

"Okay, explain to me what that damn big word is" he laughed at the thought of trying to be able to pronounce that fifty dollar word.

"Well, it basically means that the muscles up there involuntarily contract whenever something tries to go up inside me. It's really painful and it's actually prevented me from being intimate" she felt miserable at having to tell her own husband that they might not be able to even have sex.

 **Whatever it is I do, I try to think about you  
I seek the sympathy and I can't lie  
Whatever it is I do, I'm only thinkin' of you  
I hope you look at me through patient eyes**

"Okay. We'll work with it. Maybe Harley might be able to help you with some of her remedies" he just hoped that Harley had an answer to this little bump in the road but, until then, they would work with what they had. They didn't have much of a choice. They were married for better or worse. In sickness and health. Til death do they part. And this counted as sickness.

"I hope so" she finally felt a weight lift off of her shoulders as she looked back at him.

"Come here" it was a gentle command he issued as he opened his arms for her. As expected, she hesitated at first but, soon crawled into his arms and he wrapped them around her.

"Thanks" she felt instantly better wrapped in his arms as he gently pulled her onto his lap. She felt herself tremble as Throttle began stroking her back in slow, lazy circles, soothing her as he would a child who needed comforting.

 **Whatever it is I do, I try to think about you  
I seek the sympathy and I can't lie  
Whatever it is I do, I'm only thinkin' of you  
I hope you look at me through patient eyes**

"Let's get some sleep, sweetheart" he mumbled into her hair as he picked her up and used his tail to pull back the covers. He gently laid her down on the bed and covered her back up.

"Throttle" she quickly said when she saw him go to the other side of the bed.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise you I will be here all night" he said as he stripped out of his pants and tossed them off to the side of the room. Sliding under the covers with Charley, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body close to his, allowing her to feel the warmth of his body.

 **Whatever it is I do, I try to think about you  
I seek the sympathy and I can't lie  
Whatever it is I do, I'm only thinkin' of you  
I hope you look at me through patient eyes**

He knew, in his mind, he needed Charley to become accustomed to having him sleep beside her and he needed her to know that he would always be there for her. No matter what.

It wasn't long before they fell asleep. Exhaustion had finally overcome them as the twin moons rose to their apex.

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to get it up. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or something that you would like to see in future chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Vinnie's all messed up**

Throttle awoke the following morning to find Charley cuddling into the curve of his body, seeking his warmth. Automatically his arms closed around her, bringing her closer against him. As his arms brought her closer, his hand accidentally brushed against her breast while his other hand found her rounded hip. He merely groaned as he felt her snuggle closer to him and he persevered. He cursed his honor as a soldier and as a Martian mouse for not being able to make love to her as she so rightly deserved. The sizzling tension between him and Charley was nearly unbearable and it was just the first day after their marriage.

Last night, Charley had been able to air out some of the issues that were bothering her and, in his mind, were not as big of a problem as what she was thinking. Sure, it meant that they were going to have to take their time on consummating the marriage but, it wasn't a deal breaker in his mind. In fact, for the years that he had known Charley, she was perfect in his mind. There wasn't a thing he would change about her. This problem of hers was just a little bump in the road that they could get over or work around.

Charley came awake slowly. She could hear people conversing just outside the room. But, she felt cozy and comfortable, wrapped in a warm nest of blankets. Yet, she knew of no blanket with the feel of silky strength like that which surrounded her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself in the heated embrace of Throttle.

"You're awake. Did you sleep well?" he inquired as he brought one of his hands up to brush an errant Auburn tendril away from her face.

Memories of their conversation last night rose up her mind and she couldn't bring herself to look at Throttle. Looking him in the eyes would just force her to recall that her normal demeanor had left her last night due to the alcohol consumption. So, instead of looking up at his face, she opted to stare at his furry chest. To her, it was smooth, well-developed, and covered in soft golden fur. The outlines of his muscles seemed to stretch his fur-covered skin to magnificent proportions. Was there nowhere she could look without imagining his proud, regal length stretched atop of hers and the thought about what it would feel like when he finally filled her.

"Yes," the words barely breathed past her lips when she spoke. She had more than slept well last night. She had had the best night's sleep, last night, since she was a child. The sizzling tension she felt between them was nearly unbearable last night. Now, this morning, she wondered why.

Being wrapped in the cocoon of Throttle's warm embrace made her her legs weak and her head spin. She had loved Jack but, had never felt this overwhelming need or suffocating desire that she was experiencing at this very moment. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she should feel guilty for wanting Throttle as much as she did but, it was the complete opposite.

"We need to get up and see if we can locate Vinnie," Throttle said as he placed on hand on her cheek and stroked the softness of it with the back of his hand.

"I know" she softly said as she raised her gaze slowly, her blue-green eyes hazy with a passionate glow. When she met the electrifying bionic red of his gaze, a shudder passed through her body. She remembered how Jack used to make her feel whenever she looked at him but, with Throttle, it was different. More intense. It made her wonder if she really did love Jack at any point in time during their relationship.

Throttle's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His mouth swooped down to claim hers. His lips were hard and searching, leaving her mouth burning with fire. The unspoken of his kiss left little doubt what he wanted.

He lowered his head and tasted the pulsating hollow at the base of her throat, sliding slowly, tantalizingly upward to brush a lingering kiss against her lips. Raising his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You just looked so beautiful that I couldn't resist" he apologized as he released his hold on her. He had to place some distance between their bodies before he accidentally hurt her. He also knew that this was neither the place nor time for them to finalize their wedding.

Charley's thoughts scattered like leaves before the wind. With Throttle's hard body in intimate contact with hers, that coherent speech was impossible. Throttle chuckled indulgently as he nuzzled her ear. She smelled good. The scent she used to wash her hair with yesterday lingered like the odor of dried crushed flowers after their summer blossoms were gone. And she tasted just as sweet, Throttle thought.

"Beautiful?" she instantly confused by his words. She had guys tell her that she was pretty but, never one who said she was beautiful. It made her heart soar to hear Throttle say it because he was the last guy she would ever think would say anything remotely close to that.

"Yeah, very" he hadn't expected his own reaction to her to be so intensely arousing.

"Um, we better get ready" she finally found her authoritative voice and quickly rolled out of his embrace. Tossing back the covers, she bolted out of bed and made her way to the closet, hoping to find something that she could put on for the time being.

"Agreed" Throttle had never seen her move so fast to get away from someone before and he almost wanted to laugh but, refrained from doing so. Instead, he just tossed the covers aside and proceeded to get out of bed, only to stop midway when Charley stopped and stared at him. At first, he didn't know why but, upon further examination of himself, he realized that he was completely nude and she was shocked by seeing him partially aroused. Embarrassed, he grabbed a pillow and placed it over his lap, hoping that would help alleviate some of the tension between them. There was already enough issues between them and he didn't want to add any more to it.

After they had a few more laughs at each other's expense, they finally got dressed. Charley ended up wearing a pair of Throttle's navy blue jogging pants and one of his navy blue and dark gray shirts that had three-quarter length sleeves on it. Due to the fact that she didn't have any bras to wear, she was forced to depend upon Throttle to assist her back into her corset. Even though she knew it was going to look odd, she decided to wear the low white heels that she wore yesterday underneath the wedding dress.

Throttle decided to get as close to matching Charley as possible in order to make sure she didn't feel out of place. He opted to wear some loose fitting navy blue sweatpants with a dark gray tee shirt. Instead of wearing his usual motorcycle boots, he instead wore a pair of white low rise tennis shoes.

"Ready?" he asked as he held out his hand to her. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew that they were the ones who ended up getting married yesterday. That they were now husband and wife. Mates for life.

"As I'll ever be" she confessed as she placed her smaller hand into his, feeling the size of his fingers as they closed over her hand. Swallowing hard, she watched as he opened the door and allowed her to go ahead of him only to be met by a screeching Elaine in the lobby of the hotel.

"What? Why is Charley in the room with you?" she was in complete shock at seeing Charley wearing her son's clothes.

"Mom. It's a long story and I assure that there is a very great explanation for all of this but, right now, all you need to know is that Charley and I are married. It was Carbine's idea to have her be adopted into her family and Charley being the older of them, she was next in line for marriage" Throttle was trying to get the crazy tale told to his mother as quickly as possible so they could go locate Vinnie.

"Huh? I'm completely confused at this point. my son" Elaine responded with a huff as she looked at how casually both his son and now, unexpected, daughter-in-law were both dressed.

"I promise you that we'll explain everything as soon as we find Vinnie. He's been missing since yesterday" Throttle pleaded with his mother to allow them both to go on their way to find Vinnie as well as get a few other projects done before heading back to their room for the remainder of the night.

"Oh, that boy stays in trouble. Get going before I change my mind" Elaine stated as she turned her back to the both of them and pretended that she didn't see either of them as they ran quickly to the outside.

"I didn't think your mother would let us go" Charley stated as she watched Throttle mount his bike. He patted the back of his seat and she instantly knew that she was meant to rid with him.

"Where to first?" Throttle asked as he turned the bike on as he felt Charley wrap her arms around his waist. He felt her breasts against his back, even through the fairly solid corset that she was wearing.

"Let's check with Harley and see if he actually made it to her place last night. It would at least give us a starting point and then we can go from there" Charley suggested, feeling very aware of his muscular form that she was pressed intimately against.

"Good call. After that, we'll catch up with Modo and go from there" he stated, definitely liking her plan of action. If they could weed out Harley's place, then it would be a lot easier.

As they made their way over to Harley's place, they noticed that she wasn't at home. So, that left them having to go to the clinic where she worked at.

"Hey, Harley!" Charley excitedly said as they walked into her office.

"Hey, Charley. Carbine told me what she did" Harley stated as she closed the door behind them and flipped the closed sign over. She didn't need extra prying eyes and ears in her building.

"You knew that she was sick, didn't you?" Throttle asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down, looking up at Harley.

"Yes. I've known for some time now. She has less than a year to live unless we find a cure and I bet you anything those damn Plutarkians have it" Harley growled as she started to pace the floor.

"That will have to be our next step. Right now, we need to locate Vinnie" Throttle commented, hoping that Harley was right in her assessment.

"Oh yeah? Vinnie actually showed up at my place real early this morning. He was not acting like his usual self" Harley commented.

"Really?" Charley was certainly confused at this point. Vinnie shows up out of the blue, late at night, and not acting normal.

"Yeah. It was as though I didn't exist. I tried talking to him but, there was this strange rage in his eyes. The only time I have ever seen anything like that was with Evil-Eye-Weevil but, I don't think that was it" Harley was definitely very confused with her boyfriend's actions.

"Do you know where he is now? Throttle inquired as he quickly stood up.

"Last I heard is that he was looking for Charley" Harley commented as she walked towards the window of her office and saw Vinnie making his way towards it.

"Speaking of which, there he is," she said as she pointed out the window.

"Let's go see what's up" Throttle stated as he reached for Charley's hand and she instinctively placed her hand into his, following him outside to meet up with Vinnie.

"There you are" Vinnie commented and then tilted his head to the side, appearing to be confused by what he was seeing. Suddenly he saw red and his face took on a whole new look.

"Yeah, Vinnie. Modo and I went looking for you last night and couldn't find you. Charley and I decided to try to find you this morning" Throttle stated as he continued to keep a firm grip on Charley's hand as he noticed the change in his friend's outward appearance. He could tell something wasn't right with Vinnie. He seemed really pissed off about something and he couldn't put a finger on it.

"Well, now you fucking found me. What about it?" Vinnie's mouth had alway been a problem but, this was beyond anything that anyone had ever seen. He seemed to have a massive chip on his shoulder and had no qualms about showing it.

"Vinnie, what's wrong?" Charley said as she released Throttle's hand and walked over to Vinnie, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and trying to figure out what was really going on.

"Ain't a damn thing wrong with me" Vinnie snarled as he slapped Charley's hand away from his shoulder.

Charley stepped away from him, never before having felt Vinnie's rage or having him put a hand on her in violence. She didn't even recognize him anymore. He was cold and callous and cruel, something that he was never.

"Hey, Vin. What's the deal? You've never done that to Charley" Throttle decided to place himself between Charley and Vinnie. The last person he ever wanted anything to happen to was his wife.

"I heard about you marrying that whore. That's okay. She won't be around you long" Vinnie turned a cold heel and walked away from them, heading towards his bike. He felt nothing inside as he mounted his bike and took off down the road.

"What is going on?" Charley was astounded by what Vinnie had referred to her as. He had never said anything so vile before. Even when he was under the influence of Evil Eye Weevil, he was angry, yes, but never that cruel and sadistic.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Charley, I'm going to place you under guard with Modo. I don't trust anyone else to watch after you" Throttle said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He could tell that Vinnie's words cut like a knife through her heart.

"What are you going to do?" she inquired as they walked to one of the local clothing shops.

"First, we're going to get you some Martian clothing that you like" Throttle chuckled as he pointed to his clothes that she wore better than he did.

"And then?" she asked as they walked into the store. Throttle gave her free to get whatever she wanted that made her feel good about herself.

"I'm going to take you back to the hotel and have Modo stand guard outside while I get Harley and Carbine to help me locate Vinnie. Something's not right with that kid and we need to get to the bottom of it" he said as he watched Charley go through the racks of clothes and found several items that she really liked.

"Okay. What do you think is going on?" she questioned as she pulled a few more items from the racks and from several of the shelves that she felt as though would be suitable for her tastes as well as any Martian female.

"I don't know beautiful but, I promise you that by the time this is all over with, he's going to owe you a massive apology. That I guarantee" he stated as he quickly examined each item that his wife chose and realized that she was going to be quite the trendsetter of Mars with what she was picking.

"It's almost as though he wasn't even mentally aware of what he was doing. It was as though his body was there but his mind was not. He wasn't even Vinnie anymore" she shook her head in disbelief over the fact that Vinnie wasn't Vinnie anymore. It reminded her of a crazy science fiction movie or one that had a mad scientist in it. It just didn't make any sense in her mind.

"I think I get what you're saying. He had a blank stare didn't he" he said, hating the fact that his partial blindness and having to wear his field specks prohibited him from being able to get a clear view of someone's eyes. But, without them, he wouldn't be able to see at all.

"Yeah, he did. I've never seen that look" she mentioned as she looked for a fitting room so she could narrow out what fits her and what didn't.

"Fitting room is behind me," he said, once he figured out that she was looking for a place to try things on.

"This shouldn't take me too long. I'm just going to try everything on and what ever fits goes into one pile and the rest can go back onto the shelves or be hung back up" she wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. You would figure that she was delighted to be shopping but, she hated the idea of shopping with Throttle due to the fact that she had seen too many guys bail out because their ladies take so long to decide.

"Take your time. We've got all day to ourselves. After this, how about we have all your clothes delivered back to our room and we go grab a bite to eat?" he inquired as he watched Charley scramble to try on all the clothes and was very adept at going through the stack that she had brought in there with her.

"Sounds good. I'm starving" she admitted as she listened to the sounds of her stomach growling.

"I can tell. Where whatever you want out and I'll have the cashier ring it up too" Throttle just wanted to see his wife in something that actually fitted her.

"Problem with that. I forgot to grab a bra and underwear" she just realized that meant she was going to have to go look for some.

"No problem. What size do you wear and I'll grab you a few of each" he wanted to pick out matching ones. He knew that a lot of females enjoyed the idea of their undergarments matching.

"Um. Okay. I wear a thirty-two double D for a bra and size six for underwear" she hadn't expected Throttle to want to pick out things like that but, if he was willing, she would let him.

"Gotcha" he grinned as he went to the feminine section and picked up several pairs of matching items and brought them back to Charley. He handed them to her over the top of the door and he heard her gasp and then giggle.

"I can tell" she was glad that he couldn't see her face. She was about flushed as she looked at his choices for her to wear.

She ended up wearing a black underwire mesh contoured balconette bra with matching underwear. She decided that since it was a little chilly outside that she would wear a long-sleeved emerald cashmere sweater with a lace-up neck with a pair of black leggings. While she had been trying clothes on, Throttle had found her a pair of shearling lined boots that went up to her knees and were charcoal gray in color.

"Throttle, this is too expensive" she softly stated as she stepped out of the dressing room and looked at him.

"Charley, honey, what's the point in having money if I can't spend it on my lovely wife" he had never told her about how wealthy he was until now and even he wasn't bragging about it. He just wanted her to know that his money was now hers to use as she saw fit.

"I didn't know" and she truly was in the dark about his unlimited funds.

"My money is your money too" he smiled and kissed her on the forehead before walking into the fitting to see what she had chosen.

"Which is the pile that you like?" he said as he noticed that there was a very small pile and a very large pile.

"The bigger pile" she admitted but, still felt a sense of guilt over spending his money, even though he said it was hers too. She watched as he picked up the entire pile of clothes and placed it on the counter for the cashier to ring up.

"Also, could you please have someone bring these up to the Deimos Hotel under the name Duesith" he was finally using his last name for some good.

"Yes, sir. We'll them delivered straight away" the cashier stated in a flurry.

"Is that my last name as well?" Charley softly questioned as she stood beside Throttle.

"Yes, it is" he replied as he finished paying for all of her clothes and held her hand as they walked out of the store. Charley caught a quick glimpse of the cashier carefully pressing, hanging, and placing all of her clothes into individual bags that were then placed onto a z-bar to be taken to their hotel right away.

"Let's go eat," he said, noting that Charley's stomach was growling and the speed at which everyone in the shopping was working to get his order filled.

"Okay," she agreed as they went to the nearest restaurant to finally grab something to eat.

* * *

 **Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or something that you would like to see in future chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**

 **Special shout out to DinoDragonMaster and Yankee71.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Vinnie's really messed up**

 **I decided to update this chapter with a more dangerous version of Vinnie. Please let me know what you think.**

After Throttle and Charley enjoyed a very filling breakfast, he escorted her back to the room and told Modo to stand guard while he went to grab Carbine and Harley. He explained to Modo that there was something not quite right with Vinnie and to make sure that he didn't get into the room with Charley.

 **I'm going through the same day  
Same place, same way I always do  
Then I saw you from the corner of my eye  
And it hit me like a ton of bricks,  
I can't lie  
Oh you got to me  
My life was alright living in black and white  
But you changed my point of view**

Charley decided that while Throttle was out doing his hero work, she was going to enjoy some free time and get a bubble bath, which she felt as though was long overdue for herself. As she ran the bath water, she walked into the main room and saw that her clothes had already been delivered and were hung up neatly in the closet. All of her undergarments and sleep clothes were neatly folded up and put away in the dresser.

 **Show me your colours  
Show me your colours  
'Cause without you I'm blue  
(Without you I'm blue)**

She figured that if she kept herself and her mind occupied, then Throttle's handsome face wouldn't keep appearing out of thin air to haunt her. She couldn't deny that he was becoming more appealing. His features were beyond handsomely sculpted. His fur was soft and golden in color and just the right length for her to run her fingers through it. His mouth with his boldly chiseled lips and his wide but gracefully arched and generously curved muzzle was all too tempting in her mind.

 **Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

Just thinking about him gave her goosebumps. But what really set her to trembling was how his powerful, sultry gaze burned through his shades whenever he looked at her. She didn't notice it before they were married due to the fact that Vinnie was constantly flirting with her and he was with Carbine. Now that she thought about it, no man she had ever known had ever looked at her like that and she wasn't sure what to think about it.

 **Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

Shaking her head to force her thoughts elsewhere, she began to prepare herself for the next several hours of being alone and wondering what Throttle was going to do with Vinnie once he located him. She had to admit, Vinnie was definitely not acting normal and that made for some major confusion. In fact, when she looked into his eyes, she saw that there was something beyond dangerous lurking in the back and it wasn't his normal self.

 **(Show me your colours  
Show me your colours)**

Charley glanced out the massive bay window and contemplated closing it but, decided against it due to the fact that she was really enjoying the fresh air and sunshine streaming through it.

 **I have to have control of myself  
My thoughts, my mind  
Cause the way it's going down  
In my life I feel like a prisoner  
In a light  
Are you feeling me  
'Cause the way you make my  
Break my ,shake my, walls around  
I feel like I'm breaking out**

Before heading into the bathroom, she made sure the door to the room was locked and dead-bolted, not that Modo would even dream about coming into the room without an invite. It was just the thought of Vinnie that set her mind into unease. Walking into the bathroom, Charley noticed some fresh white towels had been hung up and there were a couple of bottles of bubble bath, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in a large, handmade basket.

 **Show me your colours  
Show me your colours  
'Cause without you I'm blue  
(Without you I'm blue)**

She didn't hesitate to dump a lot of bubble bath product into the tub before turning on the jet streams to make even larger bubbles.

 **Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you  
(Hurry hurry up)**

After the tub was filled up to where she wanted it at, she turned off the water and quickly stripped out of her clothes. Again, airing on the side of caution when it came to Vinnie, she locked the bathroom door and then chided herself for being overly concerned. Chuckling to herself, she placed the clothes into a neat pile and then slowly climbed into the neck high pile of bubbles. Inhaling their fragrant scent, she recognized the smell of bergamot oranges.

 **Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me (Save you)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

Sighing, she revealed in the feel of the warm water wrapping around her skin before she dunked her head under the water. Coming up, she wiped away the bubbles from her face and pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. She felt the force of the water jets against her flesh and sighed as they massaged all the aches out of her muscles.

 **My window's opened up  
Tonight I'm crawling out  
Will you be there are you waiting  
Will you be there will you save me**

Giggling, she realized that she should turn off the water jets before bubbles made their way onto the floor. Sighing, she finally turned off the water jets and just continued to massage her aching muscles. Even though she had been off of Earth for the past few days, her work as a mechanic still managed to make her muscles sore. She had planned this vacation for the past couple of weeks and now, she wasn't even sure what she was supposed to do with being married to Throttle for the rest of their lives.

 **You can save me  
(Save me, save me) I know you can save me  
So just, so just save me  
Without you I'm blue**

After she finished with her bath, she climbed out of the tub and then laughed at herself when she noticed all the bubbles that clung to her skin and then began to migrate down her body. She grabbed one of the towels and quickly dried her hair as much as possible before wiping the remaining water and bubbles off of her skin.

 **Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
Hurry up and save me  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

Before she opened the door, she placed her ear against it and listened to see if anyone was in the room. Relieved when she heard silence, she unlocked the door and walked out into the bedroom, completely nude and feeling glorious about herself.

 **Hurry up and save me (I'm blue)  
Hurry up and save me (Are you)  
Hurry up and save me (Are you)  
Hurry up and save me (Are you)  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

Reaching into the dresser, she grabbed her brand new panties and slipped them on. She chose a pair of silky smooth and soft to the touch, bubble-gum pink curved hem short rise panties. The texture of them made her feel like a Victoria Secret model as she looked at herself in the mirror, admiring how the underwear molded to her fit form. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt unbelievably sexy. Her breasts, larger than average, were still full and round with pert nipples. Her long auburn hair draped over her shoulders and down her back. Her peaches and cream colored skin still had a few drops of water that clung to her flesh.

 **Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you**

"Alright Charley-girl, you better get your ass dressed before Throttle gets back" she figured giving herself a pep talk would motivate her to at least get a shirt bra and shirt on before her husband got back to the room.

 **Hurry up and save me (Save you)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
Hurry up and save me (Save you)  
Hurry up and save me (Save me)  
I just wanna feel alive  
And I do when I'm with you (Save you)  
Save me, save me**

She reached into one to the other dresser draws and grabbed a bra. This one was a push-up style without any padded in pale pink lace. Walking away from the mirror, she made her way into the closet and was in the process of trying to figure out what to wear that might make Throttle's tongue wag when she heard something strange from the window.

A shiver of apprehension passed over her body. Instinctively, she knew it was Vinnie climbing through the window and breaking into her room. Crouching as far as she could in the closet so he wouldn't see her, she tried to reason with herself as to what Vinnie's problem was with everything here lately. She heard him land in the room and make his way to the bathroom. As quietly as she could, she pulled the closet door shut and watched him through the louvers as he began to pillage through the dresser and toss all her new clothes onto the floor.

She placed a hand over her mouth as he viciously ripped the bed apart, mumbling to himself the whole time. She watched as he went back into the bathroom and came out with her underwear that she wore on her outing with Throttle. She shook her head in confusion as he placed the flimsy garment into one of his pants pockets.

As she continued to watch him destroy the room very quietly for himself, she noticed something very odd about his behavior. As he moved through the room, she noticed that he would occasionally rub his back against a corner or on some of the furniture. She began to wonder if he was actually marking his territory.

At one point, he made his way to the bed sheets and blankets that he had tossed onto the floor and he unzipped his pants, pulling his fully erect hardness out and rubbing them against himself. Charley shook her head in disbelief, not only because of his eccentric behavior, but she couldn't believe that the bragging Vinnie was actually half the size of Throttle and Throttle wasn't even aroused this morning when she got an ample view of what he hid in his pants.

Again, Charley found this to be very disturbing. She knew Vinnie would, on occasion, display some sort of vague jealousy but, this was beyond that. He seemed to be a mouse on a mission and that was to make Charley and Throttle very miserable, even though he already knew that it wasn't their fault or decision.

Sighing softly, she began looking around the dimly lit closet and prayed that there was another way to get out but, to no avail. She was trapped and with Vinnie pacing on the other side of the door was making matters even worse. She knew she could handle Plutarkians but, an outlandish and out of control Vinnie was a whole different story.

She knew it wouldn't be too much longer before he finally made his way to the closet and found her and she certainly didn't want to know what he was going to do to her once he did. As quietly as she could, she grabbed one of Throttle's fine lawn shirts and put it on. She was grateful that it was already buttoned up or else that would have taken more time that she didn't have to spare.

A sudden quiet put a new fear into her as she raised her head to peer through the louvers and saw a massive shadow looming on the other side of the door. She watched as Vinnie gripped the door and flung it open, finally finding her.

"Now I gotcha" was all he said as he reached for her.

"I don't think so" she ground out as she dodged his one hand and attempted to make her way past him.

She found her success short-lived as his hand clamped down on one of her arms, effectively stopping her in her tracks. She attempted to struggle and then kick Vinnie but, she soon found herself on the receiving end of a hard slap across the face. She found herself falling to her knees and facing the floor, seeing stars.

She quickly found herself tossed onto her back, barely able to focus on the situation until she felt Vinnie push his weight onto her and squeeze one of her breasts. It wasn't long before he growled at her as she struggled to get free of his hard grip on her.

Hoping to bring him back to his senses, she pooled some of her saliva into her mouth and spat in his face. That act of defiance only made matters worse and she again found herself on the receiving end of another hard slap against the already sore side of her face and then heard the material of Throttle's shirt being ripped opened, revealing her barely covered body.

"Bastard!" Charley bit out between clenched, finally coming to her senses but found herself struggling against an immovable object. She found that when she tried to move her hands, Vinnie held them immobile above her head. At the same time, he was positioned between her long legs. Throttle's shirt was yanked up to her waist and screamed loudly, hoping Modo would hear her, as Vinnie's rough fingers prodded ruthlessly between her legs.

Then, suddenly, all hell broke loose. A huge body came hurtling through the door and Vinnie went flying across the room. He made his way to the window and disappeared down the side of the building, where his bike was waiting for him.

"Charley" came the sound of Throttle's voice as he knelt down onto the floor where Charley shivered from fear.

"Throttle" she cried as through herself into his arms and felt them close around her.

"Are you okay, Charley-ma'am?" Modo inquired as looked down at Charley, who was cradled in Throttle's arms.

"Yeah. I'm fine, big guy" her voice was shaky as she looked up at the big gray mouse.

"Are you sure?" Throttle needed verification as he looked at the bruise on her cheek and a small trickle of blood on the corner of her mouth.

Throttle watched as she nodded her head and shivered again. Modo was already one step ahead and one of the blankets off of the floor, handing it to Throttle. He wrapped it around her shoulders and held her close. He didn't know what Vinnie's problem was but, he overstepped his boundaries by attempting to sexually assault Charley, who was another male's mate.

"What's going on? Is she okay?" Harley asked as she came into the room and saw that Charley was in quite a state of shock. She gave Charley a quick look over and saw that she wasn't badly hurt, just in a state of shock from Vinnie's attack upon her.

Charley had withdrawn into herself, hiding where the pain and guilt of what almost happened couldn't find her.

"I'm going to take her someplace safe. I want all of you to be on the lookout for Vinnie. Stay sharp" Throttle said as he lifted Charley up off of the floor and carried her out of the room. He was going to take her to the one place Vinnie wouldn't be able to get to her. His home. Which laid on the outskirts of town and was built to be a fortress that no one could enter at will.

"We're going home, Charley" Throttle softly spoke as he mounted his bike with his wife in his lap. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had mentally checked out and that nothing was registering in her mind.

Starting up the bike, he looked straight ahead and knew that it was going to take about an hour to get to his home. He just prayed that his friends were going to be okay and that Charley would eventually come out of her catatonic state.

* * *

 **I hope everyone this chapter and I'm sorry it took me so long to get it up. If anyone has any questions, comments, concerns, or something that you would want to see in one of the upcoming chapters, please feel free to let me know. Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Taming the Shrew**

After seeing to it that Harley made it back to her home in one piece, Modo escorted Carbine back to her own house. Carbine decided to use her authority and ordered Modo to stay with her for a little while. Even though Modo's respect for the female population could drive a sane girl crazy, Carbine actually found herself looking forward to it, which really surprised her. Given the fact that she knew her life expectancy was getting shorter by the day.

In her bedroom, Carbine started to tremble as she looked at Modo and that's when she felt his arms wrap around, pulling her into his heated embrace. She felt Modo begin stroking her back, lazy circles, soothing her as he would a child who needed comforting. A tiny tear trickled from the corner of her eye as she heard him begin to hum a song that she once heard on Earth.

 **I see your face and feel your heartache  
I see the trace of the tears you have cried  
The silent sound of the heart left unspoken  
You were strong enough to hide  
All your life, no one's ever shown you  
What it's really like to have someone to hold you**

She clutched at him frantically and buried her head against the solid warmth of his chest.

"What is it? he inquired as he placed his cool metal hand under her chin and tilted her head up to gaze up at him.

She moved her head back and forth in a negative motion as she offered up a muffled explanation.

"I just wish that we had gotten around to this a lot sooner"

Modo tried to concentrate on her words, but by now the raw pleasure of having Carbine warm and willing in his arms eclipsed all else. The few garments she wore offered little hindrance as his stroking hands tested the suppleness of her beneath the pale green tee shirt she wore along with her black denim pants. He felt the softness of her breasts against his chest and knew instinctively that he could never leave her home without attaining a glimpse of paradise. And, if he was any judge of emotions, it was what Carbine wanted as well.

 **In the arms of love, heaven's just a heartbeat away  
I'll be your light in the dark, your shield from the storm  
Your shelter from the rain  
And in the arms of love I'll lift you above all the madness  
All of the pain  
And you'll be safe and warm here in the arms of love**

"Perhaps I should leave," Modo suggested. "I'm only a soldier, Carbine. I can only take so much. Are you willing to test my endurance?"

Modo's stroking hands were so soothing, it took considerable effort for Carbine to sort through his words. And, when she did, she didn't care that he was asking, begging her to send him away before it was too late. Under no circumstances did she want to be alone. Not anymore. Not when the comfort she found in Modo's arms was far too pleasurable to abandon. She looked up at him with an astonishingly level gaze and Modo had to look away, knowing that he intended to make love to her this night yet, unable to stop the tide of passion that surged through his loins.

He wanted Carbine. Wanted her with an urgency that transcended all reason and thought. Something that he never thought would happen to him.

 **We search this world for a little compassion  
For just one look through the eyes of a child  
For one more chance to be a believer  
While there's still a chance in time  
All your life no one there beside you  
Close your eyes and let this moment find you**

"I don't want to be alone" she murmured, raising her head to stare into his one eye.

"I want to make love to you, Carbine." There, he said it. She could order him out now before it was too late for either of them.

Modo's words were like a caress against her skin. They seeped inside her, bringing a languor that prevented coherent speech. His breath was warm against her cheek, his furry chest and legs were hard and unyielding. She the ponderous weight and substance of his hunger, so alive and palpable she could almost taste it, and something new and profound opened up inside her. It was almost as if a mystery was about to be revealed to her.

"Don't leave me, Modo." The words tumbled from her lips before her mind released them.

"Oh, Carbine."

His arms closed around her like steel bands; his hands boldly insistent as they made short work of her shirt, quickly lifting it up over her head, revealing herself to him for the first time. Then she felt his warm lips nuzzling her neck as he tossed her shirt onto the bed. She gasped as the cool night air of Mars puckered the crushed rose velvet tips of her breasts.

"Oh Carbine," he repeated in a strangled voice. "Sweet, so sweet. I knew you'd look like this."

 **In the arms of love, heaven's just a heartbeat away  
I'll be your light in the dark, your shield from the storm  
Your shelter from the rain  
And in the arms of love I'll lift you above all the madness  
All of the pain  
And you'll be safe and warm here in the arms of love**

He quickly shed her of her shoes and pants, eager to rid her of the last remaining obstacle between him and all that he desired.

"I think I've waited for this moment my whole life." He tilted her chin up. "Kiss me, Carb."

A thousand thoughts flew across her min but all she could think of to say was, "You're wicked, Modo."

"I try to be," he replied, only seconds before his mouth covered hers hungrily. The thrust of his tongue into her mouth sent shock waves through her body, and Carbine felt herself floundering in a strange world where only feelings existed. He kissed her thoroughly, ravenously, claiming the length of her tongue with bold ferocity.

When his lips finally left her trembling mouth the torment did not cease. It merely intensified as they slid down the slim column of her throat to capture the tightly curled tip of her breast. He spent long, torturous minutes nipping first one then the other tender bud with strong white teeth, then laving them with the rough warmth of his tongue to take the pleasure/pain away. She had never allowed Throttle to attempt such a brazen act but, then again, they really didn't fit together like that either.

"Pausing, Modo gazed into Carbine's passion-glazed eyes and smiled at the arrested expression on her face. "Did you like that, sweet? It's only the beginning."

The beginning of what? Carbine wondered. Curiosity overrode caution. Her reply was to sink her fingers into his short hair and pull him back to her breasts, This time he kissed tantalizing circles around each of the firm mounds before drawing each nipple in turn into his mouth and suckling.

"Oh!" She arched against him, pressing herself more fully into the warmth of his mouth. His sucking and nuzzling continued until suddenly Carbine realized another dimension to her torment had been added. His hand had found it its way to the juncture of her thighs.

 **High above the world where dreams are sailing  
Far beyond the brightest shinin' star  
Where everything you've waited for is waiting**

Modo was lost in a world of sensual pleasure, thrilled by Carbine's response to his loving. Her grey fur was as soft and velvety as a baby. He wanted to taste and touch every inch of her succulent body, wanted to thrust his hardness into her softness again and again until she cried out in rapture. He wanted her to feel more pleasure with him and to hear his name fall from her lips when she reached her peak.

Carbine moaned as Modo's hand stroked the inside of her thigh, sliding upward, finally coming to rest on the nest of grey fur between her legs. She felt his fingers tense as they quested upward and found the moistness she had never been aware of before. He toyed for a moment in that downy softness before gently spiraling inward with one finger, and Carbine grasped Modo's shoulders to keep herself from falling into a dark abyss of sensual awareness such as she had never experienced before. Then he touched that place around which her passion stemmed and Carbine nearly fell to the floor.

"Modo, oh God!"

"Relax, sweetheart. Take it slow and easy. Scream, cry, do whatever you want, I won't leave you."

Carefully he inserted another finger inside her, thrusting gently as his thumb rotated the tiny nub of flesh at the entrance, intensifying her pleasure a thousandfold. Vivid flashes of lightning - or did the light come from within her? - set her body aflame as his fingers stirred her fur-covered flesh to raw, aching response. Carbine knew that what Modo was doing to her was sinful, that the reason she never allowed Throttle to do this was because she felt as though it was too shameful to enjoy anything so carnally satisfying. Boy, was she ever so wrong about wanting a male who knew just how and where to touch her to make her cry out and writhe and act like a wanton?

"Please, I don't..." The words ended in a groan and shriek as the sweet ecstasy of climax took her by surprise. She felt herself spinning as she rode the crest of sensation, hovering between sanity and madness for long, pleasure-filled minutes.

 **In the arms of love, heaven's just a heartbeat away  
I'll be your light in the dark, your shield from the storm  
Your shelter from the rain  
And in the arms of love I'll lift you above all the madness  
All of the pain  
And you'll be safe and warm here in the arms of love**

When she returned to awareness moments later - or was it hours - Carbine was lying on the bed, naked as the day she was born and Modo was standing over her, grinning down at her with an aggressive leer of a seasoned soldier aware of his power. He had lit a lantern and soft light filled the room with dancing shadows. With growing apprehension, she watched as he quickly shed his clothes and allowed them to fall to the floor.

"Look at me." Her eyes widened hugely as they slid upward to his groin. It protruded like a rigid shaft - strong, bold, sure, from the thick nest of coarse, dark grey fur at the juncture of his thighs. He displayed no modesty as she stared at him, only pride in his body and the knowledge that he could give her pleasure.

"Carbine, touch me"

"Touch you?" Her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

He knelt on the bed, the size and strength of him frightening, yet oddly stirring. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips in a gesture that sent Modo's sense reeling.

His eyes focused on the way her tongue probed provocatively at the corners of her mouth and licked across the soft pads of her lips. Every nerve and sinew came alive with the pleasure that he knew would soon be his.

"Touch me. Don't be afraid. I'm not much different from any other male" he stated.

Not mentally? Carbine thought mentally. She wanted to disagree, to tell him he was unique, that no other male could compare with him. His strong, angular face, proud bearing, and medium grey fur proclaimed him as different from other males as night and day.

When she hesitated his plea, he reached out and grasped her hand, placing it on his distended member. Her eyes grew enormous but curiosity overrode reluctance as her nerveless fingers stroked up and down his shaft and over its velvety tip. He groaned and lurched against her hand. When she looked up at him, his eyes were closed and his face strained as if caught in the throes of agony. Then his hand closed around hers, wrapping it more tightly around his hardness, thrusting into the soft warmth of her palm.

"Enough!" he gasped, flinging her hand away and dropping onto the bed beside her.

Rising to his knees and elbows, he lay full length atop her, wedging himself snugly between her thighs. Then he was kissing her, everywhere his lips could reach, teasing, nipping, tantalizing her with the hot moistness of her his mouth. His hands moved restlessly over her silky fur, stroking, caressing, seeking - bold - arousing, making her feel things she had never felt before. When one hand inserted itself between their bodies and probed between her legs, Carbine jerked in violent response.

"Just relax. I'm going to make you happy" Modo replied, understanding that she and Throttle had only been together a few times and their last time they were intimate was just before the war.

He flexed his hips and placed his swollen shaft into position at the cleft of her womanhood. His hands sank beneath her to cup her buttocks, holding her tightly as he flexed again, parting, penetrating, sliding into the liquid heat of her. Deeper, deeper...When he was fully embedded in her, Carbine sucked in a ragged breath as she felt herself stretching to accommodate him. Nothing in her limited experience had prepared her for the shock of total possession by a mouse as magnificent as Modo.

Never had she felt such fullness or pleasure before but, then again, she never really allowed Throttle total access to her in this way. In fact, she saw Throttle completely naked one time and she immediately lost her nerve due to his immense size. She felt bad for sending him home with a case of blue balls but, she knew there was no way he was going to fit inside her. Hell, even Modo was having a bit of a struggle.

"Oh, Carbine, I've never felt anything so good" Modo groaned against her lips.

He stroked her slowly, knowledgely, both inside and out, with his hands and lips and shaft. She tilted her hips against him, unconsciously seeking more, and he dutifully obliged. Suddenly the slow rise and fall of his buttocks grew wildly frantic as he strained toward climax and Carbine's senses erupted into wild, swirling pleasure. Thrusting, withdrawing, trusting, she surrendered fully to his breathtaking ferocity, meeting his thrusts in staccato bursts of brilliant response that left Modo breathless with wonder.

Nothing nature created could compare to the fierce, wild pleasure he found in Carbine's arms.

Carbine soared, lifted on the wings of Modo's passion. The dazzling promise of climax dangled before her eyes like a ripe fruit and she reached for it, giving herself up to the heat of Modo's loving. The second climax of her life, when it came moments later, exploded inside her wave after wave of lush, sensual rapture, and she cried out in unrestrained awe. Through a gathering mist, she felt his body's forces straining, focusing on release. His muscles tensed, his body surged and withdrew, his thrusts grew furious and uncontrolled.

The white-hot splendor that washed over Modo was like nothing he had ever experienced before. His body was racked by spams, his face a mask of agony and ecstasy as his seed spurted into the receptive heat of her womb.

When at last his breathing slowed to dull thunder, Modo slid from Carbine's tight sheath and lay beside her. Fitting her into the curve of his body, he continued to stroke and caress her. He felt strong and invincible, stronger than he ever felt in his life, strong enough to want her again...now.

 **I'll keep you far from harm here in the arms of love**

"Carbine, are you alright" his voice was soft when he questioned her.

"Yes" her muffled rely was a bit shaky.

"Go to sleep, Carbine. It's late and you've been through a great deal today."

She was tired, so tired. Closing her eyes, she quickly fell asleep in the strong arms of Modo and he followed her into his own deep slumber. Feeling downright proud of himself for finally obtaining the female mouse of his dreams. He was even happy that his best friend finally got the girl of his dreams too.

* * *

 *****Just to let everyone know, at change . org , the petition to get biker mice from mars on DVD is now up to 178 signatures as of October 5, 2017. All we need is 22 more to finally make all our biker mice from mars DVD dreams on come true.*****

 **Special shout out to DinoDragonMaster for song recommendation and for being there for this story from the first chapter.**

 **Also, another shout out to Yankee71 for their song recommendation a few chapters back and for also sticking with this story since the start.**

 **Many CYBER HUGS to all readers and reviewers.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Welcome Home

As Throttle pulled up to his home, he came to the realization that Charley had finally finished sobbing over the incident back at the hotel. At this point, he wanted nothing more than to hold her, comfort her, but there was no time for that at this moment. He needed to get her inside and make sure everything was locked up tight to keep her protected from Vinnie.

His house, like so many others on Mars, had been built into the side of a mountain. Except, that he made sure that there was only one way to get into it. After the war, he became paranoid about feeling safe and secure within the confines of his own home. He had hired contractors to mold the thick layer Plutarkian steel and had his entire home built with it. His home wasn't extravagant looking on the outside but, it was what was on the inside that counted in his opinion.

His home contained three bedrooms and two bathrooms. He got the idea from being on Earth for several years and really enjoyed the spaciousness of Earth's homes along with having many large rooms. He had a custom designed kitchen with plenty of counters and cabinet space, large living room with a built-in television high up on the wall so no one would be able to knock it over, especially Modo and Vinnie during some of their wrestling romps.

As he helped Charley into the house, he noticed that she was slowly starting to come around and become aware of her surroundings. He carried her down the long pale blue hallway with white baseboards and crown molding along with several paintings that were obviously copies of some of Earth's artwork.

At the end of the hall, was the living room. It was casually decorated with the same blue and white paint. There was a large cream-colored velvet sofa that was reminiscent of Versailles with several matching satin toss pillows on it. On one side of the room was a massive stone fireplace and on the opposite side was the television. In the center of the room was where the sofa lay on top of a nine foot round, dark blue, deep pile carpet.

Off of the living was a formal dining room with a long mahogany table that would definitely seat at least eight people very comfortably. It was styled after a Parisian Court table. The matching high-back chairs had very deep burgundy velvet cushions on the seat. Underneath the table, there was a large, rectangular emerald green and gold rug. Along the walls were hung several different types of metallic artwork that was painted onto a canvas background.

Next to the dining was a massive, open-concept, eat-in kitchen. It was timeless in appearance with its u-shaped design and beige ceramic countertops. The cabinets were dark brown with elegant bronze knobs and handles. It was obvious that Throttle spared no expense when it came to designing the perfect kitchen for pretty much anyone. It even had a walk-in pantry that was completely stocked with Earth goodies from his last adventure to Earth.

He finally made it to their bedroom.

It still felt odd to him to think of, what was once his bedroom, as now theirs. Anything that once belonged solely to him was now jointly owned by Charley and him.

He remembered when he first got back to Mars and started having his new home built, that he ended up asking Charley for help with the colors for each of the rooms because, him being male, coordinating a home was not in his vocabulary. He also recalled inquiring heavily about the bedroom because he assumed that he and Carbine were going to get married. Obviously, that didn't happen and he ended up with his best female friend who was from Earth and the most amazing mechanic this side of the asteroid belt.

Their bedroom had a king size four poster mahogany bed against one of the walls. On either side of it were matching nightstands. The massive walk-in closet had draws along the bottom of it and lots of space for both of their clothes to be hung up without any issues. The floor was all tile that replicated the look of hardwood which leads all the way into the glamorous luxury bathroom.

The bathroom was a combination of marble and onyx, which gave it a truly unique appearance. The walls were designed to look like marble and the jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, toilet, and sink were all done in onyx.

As he gently placed Charley down onto the bed, he felt her hands tighten their grip on his shoulders. He held her close as he murmured her name as his adrenaline finally came to a halt.

She stared at him, unseeing, her face as pale as the moon, her beautiful blue-green eyes devoid of expression.

"Charley? By the Gods, Charley?" he shook her, frightened by her stillness, her silence.

He wrapped Charley more securely in the blanket, then drew her to his chest and rocked her back and forth, his hand stroking her hair, his face dark with anguish as he gazed at her, his heart aching for what she had suffered. And he felt as though it was all his fault. If only he had stayed at the hotel with her or had taken her home, Vinnie would not have gotten to her.

Throttle sat on the bed, continuing to rock Charley, whispering to her softly, promising to protect her and keep her safe, if only she would look at him, scream at him, recognize him. "Charley, Charley," he murmured. "Look at me, darling. You're all right, Charley. It's all over. He can't hurt you anymore" He shook her, then shook her again. "Charley, please look at me. It's Throttle, remember? Tell me you hate me, that I spend too much time riding my bike, that's it's all my fault but please just look at me!"

A voice. Words, They hummed around her head like bees, annoying, persistent. She would have swatted them away but it was too much trouble. And then she heard his name. Throttle.

She looked for him in her own private world, but he wasn't there, only the sound of his voice calling her, begging her to look at him. It was hard, returning to his world. Pain awaited her there, the pain of the flesh, fear of the unknown. But, he was there, too, and she loved him.

"Charley?" Hope soared in Throttle's heart as she blinked at him, her expression no longer blank. She recognized him! "Thank the Gods," he murmured and hugged her to him.

"Stay with me," she said, fearful of being alone.

"I will." He sat beside her through the night, holding her hand in his, never taking his eyes from her face. He spoke to her quietly when bad dreams haunted her, pleased beyond words when she called for him, and when the sound of his voice soothed her.

Charley woke with the dawn, her mind still filled with the last vestiges of a horrible nightmare. And then, as she turned her head and saw Throttle sleeping beside her, she knew it hadn't been a nightmare at all.

She lifted her hand to her face and felt the soreness in her jaw and how swollen it was. She turned to face him again and saw that he was awake and watching her, his expression solemn.

"How do you feel this morning?" he asked.

"Sore" she replied.

He nodded and sat up, the blanket falling away to reveal the broad expanse of his chest. It was then that Charley realized that she was wearing one of Throttle's shirts and nothing else.

She watched him stand up, her eyes drawn to the width of his shoulders, to the hard wall of his furry chest and the play of his muscles in his arms as he stretched, his hands reaching for the sky. Throttle helped her to her feet and she glanced around, wondering if Vinnie was anywhere in the vicinity.

She looked at Throttle, the question in her eyes, and realized that he was nowhere inside the building.

Looking around the room, Charley recognized it as being the bedroom of the house that she and Throttle had worked together on and smiled softly. She hadn't realized at the time that they would actually end up being married.

"You want some breakfast?" Throttle asked, knowing his cooking skills were rather lackluster at best.

"I cook. You wash dishes" Charley ordered as she left his embrace and walked into their kitchen to make a meal fit for her husband and their first home-cooked meal together as a couple.

"Yes ma'am" Throttle took the order in stride and was very grateful that she opted to cook.

* * *

I want to thank all my readers and reviewers for being patient with me while I worked on this chapter. It would have been up a lot sooner but, circumstances have been beyond my control. My writing will be more at a crawl compared to what it used to be. I now have to take care of my father pretty much full time along with my 2 children. Many cyber hugs to everyone.


End file.
